In the aftermath of 9/11, New York City faced a disturbing trend of shootings targeting shopkeepers, starting with Albert Kotlyar's murder in March 2003, linked by a .40-caliber handgun. Investigators uncovered connections to two other homicides from a month prior, raising questions about possible motives behind these attacks. Despite the lack of robbery attempts, the investigators sought patterns that could illuminate the circumstances of these killings. The case highlighted the challenges of understanding violence against immigrant shopkeepers in a post-9/11 climate.
The .40-caliber shell casing triggered Cornicello's memory of two other similar homicides, both of which happened on the same day about a month earlier.
There was a shell casing that was found, said Lt. John Cornicello, who's now retired from the New York City Police Department's Brooklyn North Homicide Squad.
In-store security cameras captured a lone gunman shooting Kotlyar after using the shop's restroom.
Investigators grappled with finding a common thread. Was it a racial thing? What was the link here?
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