The families of the three men slain in an Osceola County neighborhood shooting Saturday — Robert and Douglas Kraft and James John Puchan — say they were in town to attend the Mecum Kissimmee auto auction. (Photo/Osceola County Sheriff’s Office)
Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon called the suspect in a shooting that killed three people at a rental home off North Poinciana Boulevard a "frequent flyer in the Sheriff's Office" and a "threat to the neighborhood all the time."
Responding Sheriff's deputies arrested Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, 29, in his home Saturday afternoon about an hour after they say he shot and killed three men in front of a Indian Point Circle in the Indian Point subdivision that was next door to his home.
Bojeh has been charged with three counts of pre-meditated murder, and made an initial appearance in front of a judge Sunday. He's being held at the Osceola County jail on no bond.
Blackmon said Sunday two of the three men killed — Robert Luis Kraft, age 70 of Holland, Mich., and Douglas Joseph Kraft, 68, of Columbus, Ohio — are related, and late Sunday night investigators identified the third victim as James John Puchan. 68, of Columbus. Blackmon said he was a friend of the Krafts, and the three were still in town awaiting a new vehicle to replace another that wouldn't start.
The Sheriff’s Office shared a joint statement from the families Tuesday.
“With heavy hearts we confirm the deaths of our beloved husbands, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and friends. They attended the Mecum Car Show in Kissimmee with brothers and longtime friends and were staying at an Airbnb. While waiting for assistance after rental car trouble and preparing to travel home, they were being observed from a distance by an unknown individual who was well-known to local law enforcement. There were no known interactions between the men and this individual prior to the event; they were then approached and senselessly murdered. This was a random, tragic act.
"These three wonderful men did not deserve this. Our families are left with an unexpected, unimaginable loss that cannot be put into words. We are grateful for the outpouring of concern and for the quick response efforts of local law enforcement, the detectives, the medical examiners, and the various state agencies who are assisting with this investigation.”
Multiple 911 calls came in from the neighborhood regarding shots fired around 12:13 p.m. Saturday, and the first deputies arrived on scene six minutes later. They put up a perimeter within the neighborhood that kept Bojeh in his home, Blackmon said, and at 1:13 p.m. deputies had apprehended him, said Blackmon, who noted other weapons were found in the home after a warrant was signed and served on the suspect’s residence.
"These are three tourists who visited and lost their lives. It was just random," Blackmon said. "Deputies were able to keep the suspect in his home, which we're thankful for because who knows where else he could have gone."
County property records show the rental home is owned by a Jamaica, N.Y. couple who the News-Gazette has yet to connect with. Property records show the Bojeh family moved into their Indian Point Circle in 2004.
A Sheriff's spokesperson confirmed Wednesday said the department received 41 calls for service regarding that address from Sept. 12, 2006 through April 16, 2022. They say 16 of the calls involved Ahmad Jihad Bojeh, the majority of when he was a minor, and most made by his father stating that his son would not go to school or was being aggressive to his family. The department is continuing to research calls that may have been made by residents in the area.
Much of the evidence in the case , like those 911 calls, is not yet available due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
And, while records show Bojeh had received mental health treatment at a local facility and held a job during that time, he was still the subject of frequent deputy calls to the Indian Hill neighborhood.
"It was disturbing the peace kind of stuff," Blackmon said. "He was known to the Sheriff's Department."
Osceola County court records show Bojeh was a suspect in an attempted murder in May 2021 at a convenience store, but he was eventually found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was also arrested and charged with felony drug possession in 2015 and misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence in 2020, but adjudication was withheld in the first case and charges were dropped in the second.
