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Owner Of Westport's YZ Jewelers Killed During Calculated Armed Robbery

WESTPORT, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Did the victims know the shooter? That's what police are trying to figure out in the case of a hail of gunfire at a local jewelry store.

The crime scene inside YZ Jewelers is located behind two security doors and a battery of aging security cameras. The local police have begun releasing images it hopes will crack the case, reports CBS 2's Lou Young.

Police said a person seen on video moments before he opened fire inside the jewelry store on Post Road East in the area of Compo Shopping Center is indeed the killer. The jewelry and diamond wholesaler was apparently targeted for the gems and cash on hand.

WCBS 880's Paul Murnane On The Investigation

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Two men were shot. Store owner Yekutiel Zeevi, 65, died at the scene, police said. Known by the nickname "Cootie" to his acquaintances who gathered at a nearby restaurant, he was deeply mourned.

Yekutiel Zeevi
Yekutiel Zeevi (credit: Facebook)

"He was just really a wonderful, wonderful man; a giving man for the community. I can't speak highly enough of him," friend Gary Raitor said.

"He was the Hebrew teacher. People are talking about their kids, the whole family. He's gone, just suddenly gone," added Nancy Eckl of nearby Gold's Delicatessen.

The dead man's son and friends picked up some personal effects at what was still a crime scene Friday afternoon. Connecticut State Police officers carried out boxes of evidence, including a computer.

They said the killer was at the store on Wednesday casing the place and made one other visit to the place before the shooting Thursday night.

A second victim, Ronen Konfino, a diamond merchant from Manhattan, survived the attack but is listed in serious condition at a nearby hospital. Police said Konfino gave a description of the man, who walked right past the area New York Sports Club on his way in and out.

"There were people at 11 o'clock still at that gym.  We're hoping someone might have seen that individual, that the description is going to ring a bell for somebody," Westport Police Chief Dale Call said.

The hope is also someone can provide a plate number for a car that the survivor of the shooting described as a "blue boxy sedan."

LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Al Jones reports

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The suspect is described as a white male, around 6-foot, early to mid 40s, with a medium build and dark, salt-and-pepper hair cut short.

Westport Jewelry Store Suspect
An image of a suspect in a deadly incident at a jewelry store in Westport, CT (credit: Westport PD via Paul Murnane/WCBS 880)

He was someone the victims trusted enough to let past security twice, at business where customers have to make appointments to gain admittance.

Officials said Zeevi's death is the first murder in Westport in 25 years.

If you have any information, call police the Westport Police Department Detective Bureau at 203-341-6080.

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