Image source: Google Maps.
As the NYPD continues its search for the killer(s) of beloved local clothing merchant Mohamed Gebeli, businesses owners and residents remain both nervous and concerned, reports Paul Katinas for the Brooklyn Eagle.
Unfortunately, as of press time police were still left with “no suspects and no motive” in the case.
In the aftermath of the cold-blooded murder of such a well-liked member of the community, the people who knew Mohamed Gebeli attempt to honor his memory.
“He was a good guy,” civic leader and longtime friend Katherine Khatari told Brooklyn Eagle. “There was a homeless guy who used to walk up and down Fifth Avenue and Mohammed would give him socks for his feet. He was very good to my husband and me. We went through a lot together.”
Khatari’s thoughts also drifted to a family left fatherless.
“I hope this murder is solved right away, so his family can have peace of mind. His wife works in a Dunkin’ Donuts and his son works in a car service. They’re real Bay Ridge people,” Khatari said.
It was a group of concerned confidants who had discovered Gebeli’s body in the minutes leading up to to midnight on a Friday night.
In the days after his death, the reflexive concern of a friend is evident in Khatari’s talk of how slack business must have been at Valentino Fashion [7718 5th Ave] the day Gebeli died – as shown by the amount of time that went by before his body was discovered.
“He usually closed the store at around 7:30 or 8,” she said, “they didn’t find him until after 11. In those three hours, nobody walked into his store. That tells you how slow business is.”