Reward Offered For Killer of Deaf Mute Man

From: WABC-TV - Jan 25, 2004

By Jeff Pegues

(Brownsville-WABC, January 24, 2004) — A reward is being offered Saturday for the killer of a Brooklyn man -- gunned down after he left a basketball game. Kevin Lazare -- who was a deaf mute -- was fatally shot as he waited for a bus.

Adding to the family's grief -- no arrests so far in this case. Police are investigating and looking into the possibility Kevin Lazare's murder is connected to another shooting three years ago. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly tells Eyewitness News that the Brooklyn man was shot at in 2001.

A grief stricken grandmother makes a plea to the community for help. It happens at the corner of Hegeman and Rockaway Avenue -- where someone gunned down 25-year old Kevin Lazare. A man who was deaf and mute. He may not have heard his killer's demands.

Kenneth Mano, Stepfather: "I lost my son senselessly. It is a tragedy that I can't seem to understand right now."

In a show of support for the family -- those who knew him have built a makeshift memorial to the victim. It stands just feet away from the police tape that marks the scene of the crime.

Early Friday morning as he waited for a bus, Kevin Lazare was shot several times in the back. Police don't know if robbery was the motive -- less than $10 was found in his pocket.

Ted Gustus, Kevin's Friend: "They say he was a deaf mute, but I'll tell you one thing...he had a tremendous way of communicating with people...communicating with his smile...his body gestures...always there to help someone."

There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. It's being offered by the organization "100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care."

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