The Norman Transcript

Nation/World

Discussion

November 18, 2012

NYC boutique owner becomes third victim to be killed with the same gun

The Associated Press Associated Press

NEW YORK — A New York City boutique owner was fatally shot in the head with the same gun that killed two other shopkeepers over the summer.

The shop owner was behind the counter of She She in Brooklyn’s Flatbush section when he was shot Friday night, The Daily News reported. The gunman dragged his body toward the back of the store and covered it with clothing, the newspaper reported.

Police have identified the victim as 78-year-old Rahmatollah Vahidipour of Great Neck on Long Island. He suffered gunshot wounds to the head and torso, police said.

“He was quiet and worked hard,” said Leon Nwabueze, who owns the Nanso clothing shop across the street from the victim’s store.

Richard Vinson, 63, who has lived next door to the boutique for four years, called the victim “a very nice gentleman.”

“He was a hardworking man; he’d open the store early in the morning and he’d still be there until 7:30, 8 o’clock in the evening,” Vinson told reporters.

Nwabueze said Vahidipour closed his store each Saturday to observe the Jewish Sabbath.

No one has been arrested in the three shootings, which happened in a 5-mile radius. Police say they don’t know the motive behind any of the killings.

None of the targeted shops had surveillance cameras, according to published reports.

On July 6, clothing store owner Mohamed Gebeli was killed inside Valentino Fashion in Bay Ridge. On Aug. 2, Isaac Kadare was found dead at his Amazing 99 Cents Deal shop in Bensonhurst.

Authorities are offering rewards of $22,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the three homicides.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Nation/World
  • Floods strand pilgrims in India

    LUCKNOW, India — Monsoon flooding that has stranded thousands of people and caused landslides in northern India has killed almost 120 people, and the prime minister said the toll could rise substantially....

    June 20, 2013

  • Car quality dinged by glitches

    DETROIT — Car buyers increasingly want high-tech features like voice recognition and navigation. But they’re not very forgiving of the car company when those systems fail....

    June 20, 2013

  • Woman allegedly enslaved

    CLEVELAND — A mentally disabled mother authorities said was enslaved for two years along with her daughter spent time in jail this year after pleading guilty to beating the girl, but her attorney told a judge that her captors forced her to ...

    June 20, 2013

  • Investors push stocks higher

    NEW YORK — Investors on Wall Street are playing a guessing game with the Federal Reserve. On Monday, they guessed that the central bank will continue trying to prop up the economy and sent stocks higher....

    June 18, 2013

  • Federal agents search land linked to Jimmy Hoffa case

    OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Federal agents revived the hunt for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa on Monday, bringing excavation equipment to a field in suburban Detroit where a reputed Mafia captain says the Teamsters boss’ body was buried....

    June 18, 2013

  • Investigators ‘zeroing in’ on Colorado wildfire start

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Rain helped firefighters douse Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in state history, while a new wind-whipped blaze in California forced evacuations and threatened homes Monday near Yosemite National Park. ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Chaos as gunfire erupts at Utah Father’s Day Mass

    OGDEN, Utah — It was a quiet part of the Father’s Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion. A parishioner, known by many at the church as Ricky Jennings, entered through the glass doors in back, holding his wife ...

    June 18, 2013

  • IRS supervisor in DC scrutinized tea party cases

    WASHINGTON — An Internal Revenue Service supervisor in Washington says she was personally involved in scrutinizing some of the earliest applications from tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status, including some requests that languished ...

    June 17, 2013

  • international briefs

    More Turkey unrest ISTANBUL — Riot police firing tear gas and water cannons repelled thousands of anti-government protesters attempting to converge on Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on Sunday, unbowed even as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ...

    June 17, 2013

  • Affirmative action ruling contest pits race vs. class

    In post-Great Recession America, which is the bigger barrier to opportunity — race or class? A decade ago, the U.S. Supreme Court kept the focus on race as a barrier, upholding the right of colleges to make limited use of racial ...

    June 17, 2013