Hate Crime Fears – Grandfather Shot in Daylight

A beloved Queens kosher baker was shot dead in a public park, and the killer is still free.

Quick Take

Albert Itzkowitz, 75, was found shot in Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens, with wounds to his neck and back.^[1]^[2]
More than a month later, police had not announced a suspect, a motive, or an arrest.^[1]^[2]
Family members say they believe the killing may have been an antisemitic attack.^[1]^[8]^[11]
The reward for information has been raised to $20,000 as investigators keep asking for tips.^[1]^[10]^[11]

What Happened in Kissena Park

Police say Albert Itzkowitz was shot on May 18 near the shoreline of Kissena Lake in Flushing.^[1]^[2] He was 75 years old, and reports described him as a longtime kosher bakery owner, a grandfather, and a respected member of the Queens Jewish community.^[10]^[11] The city medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, but police still have not said who pulled the trigger or why.^[8]^[11]

The lack of an arrest has left the case stuck in the worst place possible for the family. Investigators found no publicly named suspect and no murder weapon, and police said they had no motive to announce as of the latest reports.^[2]^[11] That silence has kept the story alive in a city already dealing with rising antisemitic fears, where Jewish families want law enforcement to treat visible bias as a serious threat, not a side issue.^[1]^[8]^[9]

Why the Family Suspects a Hate Crime

The Itzkowitz family says the facts around the killing point toward antisemitism. In interviews, relatives said Albert was visibly Jewish and wearing a yarmulke when he was killed, and they argued that the setting made the attack even more alarming.^[4]^[8] Their view is not the same as a legal finding, but it reflects what many Jewish New Yorkers now feel: if a man can be gunned down in broad daylight, the public deserves a clear answer.

That concern fits a broader pattern in New York, where bias-related violence and suspected bias incidents often trigger fierce disputes over motive. The New York City Police Department says a hate crime or bias incident is identified only when bias was a motivation “in whole or substantial part,” as determined by the Hate Crime Task Force.^[18] That standard matters, because it means family suspicions, however sincere, do not replace evidence.

Police Have Not Confirmed the Motive

For now, the official record remains limited. The New York City Police Department has not publicly deemed the shooting a hate crime, and reports say investigators still have no clear motive, suspect, or arrest.^[1]^[2]^[13] That is an important distinction. A family can believe a crime was driven by hatred, but police need facts that hold up in court before they make that call.

Albert Itzkowitz was shot in the neck and back at Kissena Park in Queens. Five weeks later, police have made no arrests.

— The New York Thread (@nythreadnews) June 26, 2026

The case has also turned into a test of trust between the public and the people charged with keeping order. If the killer targeted Itzkowitz because he was Jewish, then this was not just another park shooting. If the motive was something else, the public still deserves honesty and speed from investigators. Either way, a 75-year-old man was left dead in a park, and his family is still waiting for answers.^[1]^[2]^[11]