Police are hunting a cold-blooded serial killer who has gunned down three Brooklyn store owners in the last four months — executing them with the same handgun, police sources said Saturday.
Rahmatolla Vahidipour, the latest victim of the .22-caliber killer, was found dead inside his Flatbush boutique about 7:20 p.m. Friday. The gunman left what has become his calling card — shell casings that police have matched to two other murders.
“Now it’s like he’s telling us, ‘It’s me again,’ ” a police source said.
Investigators believe the gunman shot Vahidipour, 78, three times in the head and chest before dragging him 10 feet toward the back of the She She Boutique on Flatbush Ave. Then he covered Vahidipour’s body with clothes, the sources said.
The way the killer left the body was similar to how the bodies were found in the summer slayings of two other store owners. It appears the methodical murderer moves the victims in an effort to buy getaway time by delaying the discovery of the bodies, the sources said.
On July 6, Mohammed Gebeli, 65, was shot in the neck and killed in his Bay Ridge store, Valentino Fashion Inc. The killer dragged Gebeli, who was Muslim and from Egypt, to the back of the store and covered his body, sources said.
“I hope they catch the son of a bitch,” said Gebeli’s son, Mourad, 33, who has taken over his father’s store.
“This guy needs to get caught. I don’t want to keep seeing people targeted like that. For what?”
About a month after Gebeli was slain, on Aug. 2, Amazing 99 Cent Deals owner Isaac Kadare, 59, a devout Jew who was born in Egypt, was shot in the head and stabbed in the neck inside his Bensonhurst shop.
A box had been placed in an aisle leading to the spot where the killer dragged Kadare’s body.
Although the bodies were found at different times during the evening, police sources say the men were killed around their stores’ closing times. All three also were of Middle Eastern descent, sparking fear among Brooklyn store owners with similar backgrounds.
“That’s becoming hate. It’s not a normal holdup.”
Some shopowners, like Avi Zikry, said the spate of slayings has them constantly looking over their shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, Mediterranean, it’s a bad thing,” said Zikry, the Israeli-born owner of BPY Collection. “I’m just being more aware of the door and make sure the cameras are working. And what else?
Marc Jeanlubin, the manager of the nearby Map for Men, closed his shop early Saturday — fearing a repeat attack.
“We’re just going to look, observe things, be a little more cautious,” said Jeanlubin, 44. “Because you never know who may be next.”
Fernando Mateo of the Bodega Association of the U.S. said his group would send out a sketch of the suspect.
“The only members that we would be concerned about are the Middle Easterners,” he said.
“We are miserable,” his daughter Yasmin Vahidipour said outside the family’s Great Neck, L.I., home. “He was kind. He was loyal. He was the best father. He was the best (husband) that ever lived.”
Neighbors said Vahidipour had lived in the neighborhood for about 20 years and recently renovated his home.
“He was a very hardworking person,” a friend said. “It’s very sad for this to happen to him.”
Vahidipour’s murder brought his customers to tears.
“This guy’s been here forever. He’s a staple in the neighborhood,” said Xanius Patterson, a 38-year-old nursing student. “He was a regular guy. He never hurt nobody.”
Detectives were probing several motives, and have even considered the possibility the killer has a fascination with numerology, sources said. The address for each crime scene includes the number 8.
Kadare’s store address was 1877 86th St. and Gebeli’s store was at 7718 Fifth Ave. The address for Vahidipour’s boutique was 834 Flatbush Ave.
After Kadare’s murder, investigators worked with Interpol to check for any links between his family and Gebeli’s, sources said. No ties were found.
Sources said money was taken from Kadare and Gebeli, but it was not clear if robbery was the motive. They also said it appeared nothing was taken from Vahidipour.
Police were reviewing video from a nearby store, but a source said it was grainy and may not be helpful.
The three stores hit by the slippery suspect were all without working surveillance cameras, sources said.
Cops are offering a $12,000 reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest and conviction.
A sketch of the possible killer — who’s about 5-feet-5 and weighs about 140 pounds — was released after a witness spotted a disturbed man lurking around Kadare’s store just before the victim’s body was found.
A witness took notice of the suspect — who was wearing headphones — because he seemed to be mumbling to himself about putting a bullet in someone’s head, cops said at the time.
By Rocco Parascandola , Vera Chinese AND Joe Kemp / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
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