The killing of a man linked to Montreal’s Mafia has sparked worry of a potential mob war on the streets of the Canadian city. Giancarlo Rapanaro, 48, was targeted in a brazen daylight shooting on a busy street in LaSalle, west of Montreal, on Wednesday. Police are yet to identify a suspect in what the Montreal Police Service (MPS) is calling a “clearly targeted mob-related killing.”
The shooting took place around 3:35 p.m. near the intersection of Notre-Dame and 44th Avenue, amid busy traffic near a pizzeria. Rapanaro, who had several prior convictions, was believed to have been associated with Luigi Coretti, an underworld figure who has close ties to the Rizutto family. Coretti and the Rizutto family have both been connected to a network of new Mafia power players in the city.
The killing is the latest in a series of brazen slayings that have left Montrealers rattled. Many believe that the incident is a sign of rising tensions between rival organized crime organizations in the city, the majority of which involve different generations of the same family.
While many in the Montreal community are concerned that the mob-related killing could spark a gang war, Mayor Valérie Plante said that while the MPS is “taking the case very seriously,” city residents should not fear for their safety.
“It’s a criminal matter that must be taken seriously but this isn’t an outbreak of mob activity or something any members of the public should be worried about,” Plante said in a statement. She did, however, suggest that authorities will now need to be even more vigilant in stopping such activities.
“No one is untouchable,” she said. “Anyone found to be involved in violent or criminal activity will be held accountable and will be brought to justice.”