Vito Rizzuto's son, Nick, reportedly gunned down in gangland-style killing
By Alexander Panetta, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Article Link
MONTREAL - The son of Canada's most powerful mobster has apparently been gunned down in a bold, violent move that has experts warning of a potential Mafia war.
There were reports that Nick Rizzuto - son of Vito Rizzuto, the so-called head of Canada's Mafia - was killed Monday.
When reached at the hospital, a lawyer for the family declined to comment. Lawyer Loris Cavaliere told The Canadian Press there would be no immediate statement from the family.
An expert on the Italian Mafia called it a historic attempt to wrest control from the Rizzuto clan. He said there had been no such move since the Rizzutos rose to prominence themselves in the 1970s.
"It's a tsunami," said Antonio Nicaso, the author of several books on the Mafia.
"This is an unprecedented challenge to the Rizzuto crime family. . . Since (the 1970s) they were in charge of criminal activity in Montreal - without any challenge to their authority."
Nicaso says the move was made possible after a series of police operations wiped out a layer of the family's management, with Vito Rizzuto himself currently in a U.S. jail.
He warns of an escalation in gangland violence.
"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."
Nicaso says the killing may be related to a string of recent firebombings of Italian coffee shops in Montreal, and could have been the work of street gangs.
He says the Rizzutos' decision to align themselves with some street gangs was a controversial one - not only within the Italian Mafia, but it also created enemies among the city's Haitian street gangs.
More on link
By Alexander Panetta, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Article Link
MONTREAL - The son of Canada's most powerful mobster has apparently been gunned down in a bold, violent move that has experts warning of a potential Mafia war.
There were reports that Nick Rizzuto - son of Vito Rizzuto, the so-called head of Canada's Mafia - was killed Monday.
When reached at the hospital, a lawyer for the family declined to comment. Lawyer Loris Cavaliere told The Canadian Press there would be no immediate statement from the family.
An expert on the Italian Mafia called it a historic attempt to wrest control from the Rizzuto clan. He said there had been no such move since the Rizzutos rose to prominence themselves in the 1970s.
"It's a tsunami," said Antonio Nicaso, the author of several books on the Mafia.
"This is an unprecedented challenge to the Rizzuto crime family. . . Since (the 1970s) they were in charge of criminal activity in Montreal - without any challenge to their authority."
Nicaso says the move was made possible after a series of police operations wiped out a layer of the family's management, with Vito Rizzuto himself currently in a U.S. jail.
He warns of an escalation in gangland violence.
"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."
Nicaso says the killing may be related to a string of recent firebombings of Italian coffee shops in Montreal, and could have been the work of street gangs.
He says the Rizzutos' decision to align themselves with some street gangs was a controversial one - not only within the Italian Mafia, but it also created enemies among the city's Haitian street gangs.
More on link
