NYC Serial Killer: Brooklyn Shopkeepers Terrified, FBI Search for Suspect who May be Fixated on the Number 8 [VIDEO]

Police in NYC may have a potential serial killer on their hands - and many Brooklyn residents and shopkeepers are utterly terrified. Authorities are currently looking for a suspect that they strongly believe is connected to a string of recent shootings in the area - the man-in-question has gunned down three Brooklyn business owners since the summer. It is also believed that the suspect may have some bizarre fixation with the number 8, given that all the shops that he held at gunpoint had the number 8 somewhere in their addresses. Utter coincidence, or a sign of a Zodiac-esque serial killer on the loose?

The "number 8" is a link between the string of murders that the police are now seriously taking into consideration. A NYC law enforcement officer told Fox News on Monday (Nov. 19), "We're definitely looking into the number-8 angle. But we're not any closer to solving the case because of it."

Police claim that all three murder cases were carried out in a rather ritualistic fashion. The gunman targeted stores without surveillance cameras owned by men of Middle Eastern descent, and killed them while they were closing up their stores at night. He used the same .22 caliber gun to shoot the victims in the head, neck, or chest - he would then cover each of their bodies with merchandise from their stores.

On July 6, Mohamed Gebeli, a 65-year-old Egyptian immigrant and a Muslim, was found shot in the back at his Valentino Fashion Inc. shop. On Aug. 6, Isaac Kadare, a 59-year-old Jewish Egyptian, was shot in the head in his store at the Amazing 99 Cent Deal. The latest victim was gunned down on Friday (Nov. 16) - 78-year-old Vahidipour Rahmatollah, was killed in his woman's clothing boutique on Flatbush Avenue. In all cases but Rahmatollah's money was taken from the victim.

Councilman Jumaane Williams joined State Senator Eric Adams on Sunday to establish a FBI task force to help promptly track down the killer - "I was shocked when I heard the word serial killer, it's not a word you hear often in New York City," Williams claimed. Detectives who specialize in hate crimes and FBI analysts who specialize in behavioral analysis have since joined the case.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly announced on Monday that police are looking to identify a tall, balding man with a mustache. This individual who was seen on surveillance video carrying a black duffel bag near the scene of Rahmatollah's shooting. "We're trying to put it together. We're talking to the FBI; we're doing an all-out effort to solve these murders," Kelly told NBC.