A livery cab driver who had spent the last 20 years touring this fair city was executed just steps away from his Sheepshead Bay home Thursday — possibly by an unhinged lover, officials said.
Officials said that Tamiz Din, 50, had just parked his car and was approaching the East 18th Street home he shared with his cousin near Voorhies Avenue at 12:47 a.m. on May 14 when he was confronted by three males.
One of the males pulled a gun and opened fire, striking him twice in the chest and once in the right thigh, according to police.
He died of his wounds about a half hour later at Coney Island Hospital, but not before his grief−stricken cousin saw him lying on the sidewalk in a pool of blood.
Witnesses said that the three men, described only as dark−skinned males dressed all in black, ran off on foot.
Investigators were still trying to determine if one of those men was Saleem Khan, who had dated the Pakistani immigrant for 15 years before their relationship took a violent turn in 2007.
Shiekh Aziz, Din’s cousin, told reporters that Khan took their break−up badly.
In 2008, Khan allegedly attacked Din with a steering wheel immobilizer during a fight near the home the two had shared in the Bronx — a move that prompted the 50−year−old cab driver to file charges against his former boyfriend.
In fact, Din was scheduled to testify against his Khan in court the day after he was killed, Aziz said.
Police sources said that they could not conclusively identify Khan as a suspect in this investigation, but the connections between the timing of Din’s death and the upcoming court case against Khan are too strong to ignore.
Investigators were still trying to track down Khan for questioning as this paper went to press.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward.
