Imam's shooting death shakes storied immigrant neighborhood

In this Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016, photo Ashik Uddin gestures as he speaks during an interview with The Associated Press outside the Al-Furqan Jame mosque in the Ozone Park neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York. The shooting of an imam and his assistant near their New York mosque has unnerved Muslim residents of the Ozone Park section of Queens. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (The Associated Press)

In this Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016, photo Nurul Hoque gestures as he speaks during an interview with The Associated Press outside the Al-Furqan Jame mosque in the Ozone Park neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York. The shooting of an imam and his assistant near their New York mosque has unnerved Muslim residents of the Ozone Park section of Queens. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (The Associated Press)

In this Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016, photo Johnny, left, and Sally Lee speak during an interview with The Associated Press at their Liquor store in the Ozone Park neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (The Associated Press)

The shooting of an imam and his assistant near their New York mosque has unnerved Muslim residents of the Ozone Park section of Queens.

Police are still investigating a motive, but some residents say they are sure the killings were a hate crime aimed at the Bangladeshi Muslims who have moved into the neighborhood alongside longtime Hispanic residents.

Many Ozone Park residents say the imam's death shouldn't be taken as evidence of a rift between the culturally diverse groups that share the streets.

Neighborhood resident Sumona Kazi says Ozone Park's various immigrant groups are a united family.

Danny Perez says when Bangladeshis first started arriving in the neighborhood, teenagers from both sides would get into fights.

But he says those old tensions are a thing of the past.