Ex-Mafia Boss Shot Dead

A former Italian Mafia enforcer was shot dead in his home in Toronto, Canada. He was allegedly murdered by his son-in-law.

Rocco Zito, 87, had been a senior member of the ‘Ndrangheta, or Calabrian mafia. The crime organization operated in southern Italy, according to Canadian media outlets.

Police were called to Zito’s home Friday. When they arrived they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate the man but he could not be saved.

The man was identified as the former Italian mob boss. His son-in-law later turned himself in to police and has since been charged in the murder.

In a police statement reported by the BBC, authorities said that Domenico Scopelliti, 51, turned surrendered to police on Saturday.

The Toronto Sun reported that police began searching for Scopelliti Friday night. Around midnight Saturday morning, Scopelliti turned himself into police and was processed before a court wearing an orange jail jumpsuit.

Zito moved to Canada in the 1950s. One of his neighbors said the former mob boss had been there longer than she had despite her living on the block for more than three decades. He was said to have been in good health for his age prior to being shot.

The Sun also reported that Scopelliti, his wife and their children lived in the home with Zito.

Zito had ties to the ‘Ndrangheta crime organization located in Italy, New York, and Montreal, according to CBCNews in Canada. The group also has roots in Toronto dating back several decades.

In 1980, Zito was convicted of manslaughter after he beat a Toronto photographer to death. The photographer allegedly had ties to a loan-sharking operation. Years later he was appointed to head the Camera di Controllo, the crime organization’s “board of elders.”

“He was an enforcer. He was a very violent man when he was young,” said Antonio Nicaso, an author and organized crime expert. “Rocco was a big shot.”

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter@BobPriceBBTX.