Family reacts to arrest of suspects in murder of Israeli tourist

By Amy Kawata

Click here for updates on this story

    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A community on edge now able to breathe a sigh of relief after Baltimore Police announced the arrest of 3 suspects in connection to the murder of Israeli tourist, Efraim Gordon.

“This is a step toward healing for us,” said Sarah Marshall, Efraim Gordon’s cousin. “Because as long as they were out, we definitely felt unsafe.”

Police said they have arrested and charged a 16-year-old male, a 17-year-old male, and 18-year-old, William Clinton III, of Baltimore in connection to Gordon’s murder.

“It’s tragic that we have teenagers committing crimes like this,” said Howard Libit, Executive Director of Baltimore Jewish Council.

In the early morning hours on May 3, Gordon was shot and killed in north Baltimore while standing on his aunt and uncle’s doorstep in the 3700 block of Fords Lane.

“First I heard the shot, I saw them running, I didn’t know what had happened,” said Shneur Marshall, a relative of Efraim Gordon.

Shneur Marshall recounts the terrifying moments that traumatized the neighborhood. “One family member was doing CPR until responders came,” said Marshall.

Homicide detectives were able to identify the suspects through video footage and physical evidence.

City leaders commended the diligent work of detectives in this case and the community.

“This shows that when you have the community and city and police working together… this is the result you end up with, you end up with crime being solved,” said Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer, Baltimore City.

“It’s a reminder that we’re only going to solve our city’s crime problem if we all work together. We can’t leave it to the police alone,” said Libit.

As Gordon’s family continues to heal, they said this is not over yet and hope justice will be served in court.

“You can’t kill someone and then be back out on the street, it just doesn’t work that way. If you’re going to kill someone, you’re not going to see daylight again in your life,” said Sarah Marshall.

“My hope is that Efraim was such a kind, loving, humble person — that we can continue his legacy,” said Shneur Marshall.

All three suspects are currently being held at Central Booking where they have been charged with first-degree murder. They are all being held without bail.

Police released gas station surveillance video of two people of interest last month.

Officials have not confirmed if those two men shown in the video were involved in this incident.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.