Possible weapon used in 3 slayings found

Police have recovered weapons and were questioning a man in the investigation of the deaths of three Middle Eastern shop owners in New York, officials said. The person of interest, said to be in his 60s, was taken into custody Tuesday by police who acted on a tip from Brooklyn residents who recognized him in video recorded near two of the three slayings of the merchants in that borough, ABC News reported Wednesday. The man has yet to be charged. Officials said a Ruger 10-22 rifle with a sawed-off stock was found Wednesday in a bag belonging to the individual, which police called the "John Doe Duffel Bag." An official said the weapon uses ammunition consistent with ballistics found at each of the three crime scenes where the shopkeepers were killed in July, August and last Friday. The bag also contained .22-caliber ammunition, two knives -- "one of which appeared to have blood on it" -- black gloves and women's stockings, the official told ABC News. The three killings occurred at small shops that didn't have security cameras and were within a 5-mile radius, police said. It wasn't clear whether the victims, all in their 50s, were robbed, police said. Rewards of $22,000 in each of the homicides are being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the crimes.