Israeli citizen Efraim Gordon was shot dead while visiting Baltimore. Photo: courtesy of Gordon family.

Three men have been arrested in the Baltimore murder of Israeli tourist Efraim Gordon on May 2.

Local CBS affiliate Channel 13 reported Sunday that the Baltimore Police have charged two unnamed juveniles and William Clinton III, 18, in connection with the killing.

They have all been charged with first-degree murder and are being held without bail.

The three were identified by physical and video evidence.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott released a statement saying, “Thanks to the diligent work of the Baltimore Police Department, suspects in the heinous murder of Ephraim Gordon are now in custody. My heart continues to be with Ephraim’s family in Baltimore and abroad in Israel. No family should be forced to endure the insufferable pain of losing a loved one to gun violence.”

“As this family continues to heal, I remain committed to working with [Police] Commissioner [Michael S.] Harrison to build a safer Baltimore and finally put a halt to the long legacy of gun violence that plagues our city,” he added.

Baltimore police said that the motive in Gordon’s murder was believed to be robbery.

Chakia Fennoy, a spokesperson for the Baltimore PD, told The Algemeiner on May 5, “At this time we can neither confirm nor deny whether or not the shooter was shouting antisemitic slurs. Preliminarily, detectives believe the motive for this murder was robbery. However, they are not ruling out other possibilities.”

Gordon’s sister Ella is convinced the murder was a hate crime, telling Israel’s Channel 12 after the attack, “This was an act of terror, my brother didn’t just die. There were no signs of violence, and they didn’t take money.”

“They murdered my brother. To come and say it was a robbery that went awry is not logical,” she insisted. “They didn’t take anything; they left the bag, wallet, earphones, watch, the passport; it was all left behind. This was simply a murder because he was Jewish.”