Connecticut Jeweler Shot and Killed in Targeted Robbery



The owner of a Westport, Conn., jewelry store was killed and an associate was wounded in a targeted robbery on Dec. 8.

Yekutiel Zeevi, 59, a native of Israel, was shot inside Y.Z. Manufacturing on Thursday night and died at Norwalk Hospital. The second victim was in critical condition, but is expected to survive.

Police had to force their way into the store after another associate called 911 around 10 p.m. They found the two men suffering from gunshot wounds and transported them to the hospital.

Heather Cavanagh, special projects manager for Westport’s Chamber of Commerce, tells JCK that the Westport community has expressed an outpouring of sympathy and support to the Zeevi family for their tragic loss. “The public’s reaction was and still is one of shock and disbelief,” she says. “It is simply inconceivable that such an act of violence occurred here.”

Funeral services for Zeevi were held Dec. 11 and attended by hundreds of relatives, friends, and members of the community. Zeevi is survived by his wife, Nava; his son, Neer of New London, Conn., and his sister, Ilana Sigal, of Israel.

According to reports, police believe this was not a random robbery and the men were specifically targeted. Police describe the suspect as a white male, probably in his 40s, with short salt-and-pepper hair, a three- or four-day beard growth, wearing black-framed glasses, jeans, brown cowboy boots, and a blue or green two-toned jacket with a light stripe. He is believed to be driving a “boxy” blue four-door car.


Surveillence images of the suspect (Photos courtesy of Jewelers Security Alliance)

Anyone with information should call the Westport Police Department Detective Bureau at 203-341-6080.

For more information on jewelry crime and tips for keeping your business safe, check out:

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