MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade police detectives released photos Tuesday of a black Chevrolet Impala they believe was involved in the Young Israel of Greater Miami shooting Sunday.
Witnesses told police officers the shooter stepped out of the Impala and injured Yosef Lifshutz in front of the synagogue on Northeast 171st Street, near North Miami Beach. The car has dark-tinted windows.
Police described the shooter as a man with a slim build and short-cropped hair who is between 20 and 25 years old. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Although police officers haven't released information about the nature of the shooting, some in the community fear it was a hate crime.
Miami-Dade Police Department Director Juan Perez told Local 10 News reporter Glenna Milberg he wants the community to understand that the law enforcement community feels their fear.
Young Israel of Greater Miami Rabbi Dovid Lehrfield, Damon Salzman, the president of Young Israel of Greater Miami, and Farley Weiss, the president of the National Council of Young Israel, believe the shooting was related to anti-Semitism.
"He didn't do anything -- just shot him," Jeff Weisberg, a Young Israel of Greater Miami volunteer, said. "It can only be a hate crime."
Lifshutz remained hospitalized Tuesday in Aventura. The FBI is contributing to the investigation.
Authorities reported Young Israel of Bal Harbour received a package Monday with anti-Semitic threats. Young Israel is a New Jersey-based organization with 200 synagogues.