‘Loanshark’ is in their hearts

This Christmas won’t be the same for the loved ones of alleged loanshark Vincent Zito, who was gunned down in his Brooklyn home just over a month ago. But this family still respects tradition.

“You gotta do what you gotta do, you know what I mean?” Vito’s 57-year-old son, Joseph, said outside the family’s Sheepshead Bay house, where his dad was shot twice in the head Oct. 26. The murder remains unsolved.

“Life goes on, unfortunately,” he said. “Holidays will never be the same. Birthdays will never be the same. We did the Christmas lights like we do every year. Tradition’s not gonna change.”

Vincent, 77, was found dead inside the family’s three-story Emmons Ave. house by his young grandson Vincenzo. The boy understands the situation, according to his dad.

“When my son opened the door, he saw my father on the floor,” Joseph said. “He didn’t go in. And then he ran down the steps and he told my cousin, ‘Grandpa’s on the floor.’ He knew Grandpa was on the floor, but he didn’t know what happened.”

According to Joseph, the family still sits down for dinner together every night, but instead of having the family patriarch at the table, they make do with a photo of Vincent so Vincenzo will know about the man he was named after.

“We talk about him,” Joseph said. “He says, ‘Grandpa.’ He understands.”

The family is hopeful authorities solve the case, according to Joseph.

“They’re working on it. It’s like anything else. Hope to have some resolution,” he said.