Nick Rizzuto Jr. Murdered in Montreal
Nick Rizzuto Jr., son of reputed mob boss Vito Rizzuto, was shot dead this afternoon in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district as reported by Marcos Townsend for The Montreal Gazette:
Rizzuto Jr., 42, was hit by at least one bullet at the corner of Upper Lachine Rd. and Wilson Ave. at about 12:10 p.m., Montreal police Constable Olivier Lapointe said. Rizzuto Jr.'s body was found sprawled alongside a black Mercedes parked behind a three-storey apartment block located at the corner of Upper Lachine Rd. and Wilson Ave. * * * What does seem clear is that Rizzuto Jr. was shot by a single assailant [described by one witness as a black male] who fled west along Upper Lachine Rd. and then south along Melrose. One witness told reporters she heard at least six gunshots and then the sound of tires from a vehicle screeching away from the scene.Rizzuto was shot near the offices of FTM Construction, owned by Antonio Magi with whom the mob scion had a business relationship, which was raided last month. At this point investigators have no idea who is behind Rizzuto's murder other than running through the usual suspects -- street gangs, motorcycle clubs, Calabrian Mafia or Sicilian Mafia -- although it no doubt is a blow to his father as reported by Aaron Derfel and James Mennie for The Montreal Gazette:
Pierre De Champlain, a retired intelligence analyst with the RCMP and an expert in Italian organized crime, said Rizzuto's death sends a chilling signal. "My God, it's really a severe blow for Vito Rizzuto – there's no doubt about that. "It's clear that this is a signal that’s being sent to his father, Vito Rizzuto, who is incarcerated in the United States. For a Mafia head to see his son getting murdered is a bad sign."
Nick Rizzuto Jr., a real estate developer, "was believed to be handling the financial aspects of his father’s business while Vito Rizzuto was in prison in the U.S., where he continues to serve a 10-year sentence for a racketeering conviction involving the 1981 killings of three Mafia captains" -- Philip "Philly Lucky" Giaccone, Alphonse "Sonny Red" Indelicato and Dominick "Big Trin" Trinchera -- from the Bonanno crime family in New York City as reported by Paul Cherry and James Mennie for The Montreal Gazette.
Regardless of who was responsible for Nick Rizzuto Jr.'s murder -- whether involving a power play or a personal vendetta -- retaliation is expected as reported by CBC News:
"This is an unprecedented challenge to the Rizzuto crime family," said Antonio Nicaso, the author of several books on the Mafia. "Since [the 1970s] they were in charge of criminal activity in Montreal — without any challenge to their authority." "There will be, for sure, a retaliation," Nicaso said. "The son — the eldest son — of Vito Rizzuto was killed. This is not just an ordinary member of the family."
More coverage:
CBC News: Video
CTV News: Video
The Globe and Mail: Montreal's underworld in turmoil as mobster's son gunned down
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