Sources say there is a match of ballistic evidence from both crime scenes.
A clothing store owner in Bay Ridge was gunned down July 6th, and the owner of a dollar store in Bensonhurst was killed on Thursday night.
Police have released a sketch of a person believed responsible in both cases.
Community leaders are going around to local stores to warn merchants and hand out the sketch.
There are strong similarities between the two murders.
The slain business owners were both Egyptian-born. In both cases, money was taken. And after each murder, sources say the killer tried to hide his victims' bodies.
State Senator Martin Golden's office is contributing $5,000 to a pool of reward money to help solve the murders.
"Both of these individuals were closing their stores late at night between 7:30 and 9:00," said Golden. "And someone walked in on these crowded avenues and shot and killed these individuals."
In the latest case, a customer found /*Isaac Kadare*/ bleeding from the head around 8:50 p.m. on Thursday at his Amazing 99 Cents Deals shop on 86th Street in /*Bensonhurst*/.
An autopsy revealed he sustained a gunshot wound to the head and sharp force injuries to the neck.
Kadare was a devout Sephardic Jew who studied the Talmud daily. He was born in Egypt and had four children, two teenage girls, a teenage son and a 10-year-old daughter.
Friends describe him as a hard worker and a good and decent man.
Police say there were no signs of robbery inside the store. There was a pool of blood on the floor, and the body appeared to be covered by two boxes in the middle aisle of the store.
Investigators gathered fingerprints from the scene, looking for clues, and have taken several bags of evidence from the store. The couple living above the store described Kadare as a landlord who would do anything for his tenants.
Last month, 65-year old Mohammed Gebeli's body was found inside his Bay Ridge clothing store.
Police say the murderer took cash from the register.
"It's very sad when you stand with the families and see a life that goes that quick over a few dollars," said Golden.
The person depicted in a police sketch is described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, 5'9", medium build, wearing sunglasses. (CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SKETCH)
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477).
---
WAKE UP WITH EYEWITNESS NEWS! Click here to download the WABC Eyewitness News Alarm Clock app from iTunes. or search WABC or 7online in the app store.
- $2,000 from Crime Stoppers - Arrest and Indictment
---
WAKE UP WITH EYEWITNESS NEWS! Click here to download the WABC Eyewitness News Alarm Clock app from iTunes. or search WABC or 7online in the app store.