Trump-supporting Florida man convicted of shooting at jet skiers over ‘Ridin’ with Biden’ flag

A Trump-supporting Florida man has been convicted of shooting at a man on a jetski flying a “Ridin’ with Biden” flag on election day in 2020.

A Miami jury found Eduardo Acosta, 39, guilty of attempted murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and armed robbery. Now he faces between 20 years and life imprisonment when he is sentenced on 16 December.

Prosecutors told the court that Acosta was out on his own personal watercraft with a group on 3 November 2020 when they came across two other men on a small island in Biscayne Bay.

The court heard that those men, Wilson Peralta and Alfredo Garcia, had their own craft which was flying the flag in support of Joe Biden, according to The Miami Herald.

Acosta began to argue with the men, using a false QAnon conspiracy theory that anyone supporting the Democrat was a “child molester.”

The unfounded and bizarre right-wing theory claims that a “deep state” group of child sex traffickers was secretly working to defeat Donald Trump during his time in the White House.

The court was told that Acosta lunged at the men but was held back, only to later return with a handgun and shot at the men as they got their vehicle and rode away from the scene.

Both men fell off the craft as a bullet was shot overhead, according to investigators.

Police said that Acosta then caught up with the men on the water and at gunpoint told them in Spanish, “Don’t come back to this island. I’m going to kill you.” Neither of the men was injured in the incident.

Acosta’s defence lawyer, Eric Matheny, told the court that Acosta had armed himself as he was afraid of the two men and that the gun had accidentally gone off when his finger hit the trigger in rough water.

Acosta, a father of four who sold exotic cars, was taken into custody after the verdict.