Miami PD asks for public's help to find rabbi's killer

MIAMI - Police are asking for the public's help to find the killer of an Orthodox rabbi who was murdered while walking to a Miami-Dade synagogue Saturday.

Rabbi Joseph Raksin, 60, was visiting family from New York when he was fatally shot during Sabbath, reports CBS Miami. Before he died, Raksin told a woman who rushed to his aid that two men were responsible.

Though Raksin was reportedly not carrying a wallet when he was shot, police have not ruled out the possibility that the crime may have been attempted robbery.

So far, no arrests have been made and no suspects have been named.

"We are committed to getting to the bottom of this case and finding the perpetrators of this act," said Major Hector L. Llevat of the Miami-Dade Police Department's homicide division during a news conference Monday. "We have some leads that we're following."

Llevat asked the public to contact authorities if they noticed anything out of the ordinary near the crime scene Saturday.

Llevat did not reveal details about the incident or the suspects and asked for the public's help and cooperation in catching those responsible. He said that the preliminary investigation into the shooting showed no sign that it was a hate crime, though authorities have not ruled out that possibility.

Two weeks ago, a swastika was painted on the wall of a nearby synagogue in the community, the station reports. The crimes have left many Jewish residents in the northeast Miami-Dade neighborhood uneasy.

Rabbi Pinchas Weberman, chaplain of the Miami-Dade Police Department, also spoke at the news conference Monday. He encouraged the community to look for courage.

"We have confidence in the professional law enforcement community in which we live," Weberman said.