Video From Westport Jewelry Shop Shooting Sent to State Lab [UPDATE]

Update: 11:00 a.m., Saturday

Westport Police, who are working overtime this weekend investigating Thursday's robbery and shooting incident at YZ Jewelers at 431 Post Road East, said investigators from the state crime lab are still working to obtain clear images of a man who may be the perpetrator from the store's video surveillance cameras.

Police will be releasing the images to the public once they are developed, Westport Police Capt. Sam Arciola said in a statement to the media.

In a related announcement, Westport Police announced that today's toy drive by the Westport Police Department Local Union No. 2080 and Police Benevolent Association has been postponed until Sunday, due to a lack of officers to run the event. According to a report in WestportNow.com, the event will take place on Sunday and next weekend.

Update: 5:00 p.m., Friday

The surveilance video from YZ Jewelry has been sent to the state laboratory for enhancements in order to help identify the unknown suspect.

Update: 1:00 p.m., Friday

Police described the suspect as a man in his early to mid 40’s, medium build, short hair (salt and pepper), three days of facial hair, wearing a dark hat, blue or green jacket, cowboy boots (or something similar).

The surviving victim, identified as Ronen Konfino, of New York, NY, a business associate of Zeevi, vaguely described the suspect’s vehicle as a “blue, four-door boxy vehicle.”

Konfino is in stable condition at Norwalk Hospital and is cooperating with the investigation.

Chief Dale Call said it appears the suspect entered the building twice Thursday night, and once on Wednesday. The man had appointments with Zeevi on both occasions. He responded to a weekly diamonds advertisement Zeevi placed in the interest of buying or selling diamonds, Call said.

Police are having difficulty viewing the in-store video footage as it was a very old system. Police are only able to view the video backwards and in still frames, so they must play the video backwards while trying to recreate a new video on their computers that they can watch in regular time.

Call hopes someone who was in the plaza at the time of the shooting will come forward with information, though he noted it was clear nobody had heard anything because the only call they received was from the second victim.

“It’s a sad thing to have happen — nothing any town wants to see happen,” Call said. “We pride ourselves on having a safe community where people look out for each other. It’s a tragedy, there is no other way to look at it.”

Update: 10:30 a.m., Friday

Police have a video image of the suspect, but are seeking out additional surveillance footage from other businesses, according to Westport Police Chief Dale Call.

Police intend to put out a description of the suspect when they have one. There is no vehicle description. 

The surveillance footage that shows the suspect of Westport's first robbery homicide in 30 years, is from the hallway of the jewlery store. 

"Right now, we are trying to confirm what we are hearing," Call said of the suspect's description.

Call said he is fairly certain the suspect is not in Westport and has not been for a long time. 

Call explained there is a neighboring gym that remains open until 11 p.m., after the time of the alleged homicide. 

"We are hoping there were people in there and that they will come forward if they saw something," Call said. 

Original Story

Months after a trial for the , Westporters awoke Friday to news that a similar crime occurred in their own town overnight.

According to Westport police, 65-year-old Yekutiel Zeevi, a town resident, was shot inside YZ Jewelers at 431 Post Road East, Suite 18, apparently some time around 10 p.m. Thursday, and later died at Norwalk Hospital.

A second victim is reported to be in critical condition. Anyone in the area of Compo Shopping Center between 9:30 and 10 p.m. is asked to call the Detective Bureau at 203-341-6080 if they saw anything suspicious.

"Based upon the preliminary investigation this was not a random robbery and these individuals were specifically targeted by a single unknown suspect," Westport Police Captain Sam Arciola said in a news release this morning. "Detectives are investigating whether there was any video surveillance in place at the time of the robbery that would assist in the investigation."

Westport Patch will have more details as they become available.

[Editor's Note: This article has been updated to protect the privacy of a shooting survivor.]