Alleged Gunman Indicted In Murders Of 3 Brooklyn Shopkeepers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The suspect in the murder of three Brooklyn shopkeepers was indicted Tuesday on first-degree murder charges.
Salvatore Perrone, 64, was arrested and charged last week.
He is accused of using the same .22-caliber gun to kill three shopkeepers between July and mid-November.
The first store owner killed was Mohamed Gebeli. He was found dead in his Bay Ridge clothing store, Valentino Fashion, at 7718 5th Ave., on July 6.
On Aug. 2, Isaac Kadare was found dead at his Amazing 99 Cents Deals shop at 1877 86th St., in Bensonhurst.
The latest homicide happened Nov. 16 at the She She Boutique at 836 Flatbush Ave. in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Store owner Rahmatollah Vahidipour was found fatally shot, police said.
All three victims were of Middle Eastern descent and all shop owners who were working alone in their stores when they were killed.
Following the latest incident, police said Perrone was seen in surveillance video walking away from the scene with a duffel bag. He was later labeled as "John Doe Duffel Bag" as police questioned him.
Inside the bag, police said they found the sawed-off rifle used in the murders, as well as women's stockings, black gloves, a laser scope and two knives. One of the knives had stains that appeared to be blood, police said.
Perrone, a Brooklyn native, is divorced and lives with his girlfriend. He went store to store trying to sell clothing, police said, but it was unclear if he had tried to sell to any of the victims.
Perrone was previously arrested in 2001 in Pennsylvania, accused of burglary and stalking an ex-girlfriend.
