Who is Francesco Villi? 73-year-old man who fatally shot 5 people in a targeted attack identified
TORONTO, CANADA: The authorities have identified Francesco Villi, as the man behind the deadly shooting that killed five people at a condo building in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday. The shooter was neutralized by police at the building in Vaughan, Ontario after he went berserk and started an open fire at the condo board. It is said that he had bad blood against the victims for a long time. The 73-year-old resident of the same building allegedly killed his victims by going door-to-door targeting particular residents from the board who he felt were unfair to him, reports the Toronto Star.
Villi had even filed a lawsuit against the condo board, which was initiated a few years ago. Police have not yet made an official motive behind the shooting, and are expected to hold a press conference soon. At a Monday afternoon, December 19, news conference, Jim MacSween, Police Chief confirmed Villi as the shooter but has yet to name victims as of now. The officer informed that three men and two women died in a planned attack, whereas three victims were members of the condo board. A woman who survived the shooting is hospitalized and is receiving treatment currently.
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Francesco Villi posted this alarming video to his Facebook page before killing 4 people at a condo in #Vaughan, Ontario #toronto pic.twitter.com/eNSupwWY4D
— Richard B. Long (@intell911) December 19, 2022
“Horrendous scene. Six deceased. One of them is the subject. The other five are victims, “he said. MacSween continued, “We are truly shocked and sorry that such an incident took place in our region. We will do anything we can to support the loved ones and anyone else impacted by this heartbreaking incident.” The chief of police further said that the residents will be allowed back into the building after a special unit’s investigation is completed, since there is no more threat to the community.
“It's just shocking to be honest,” said Jordan Bennett, one of the fellow building residents who were out to buy food for Sunday night and returned to find a massive police presence at the building. “I feel pretty safe here so I'm pretty shocked to hear something like this happened,” reports ABC7. Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca offered his condolences to the victims and their families while addressing people from outside the building. He informed that the flags at city hall would fly at half-mast in memory of people who died, and added that the entire community is mourning the shooting.
“My heart goes out to the victims, their families, to the people that knew them. It's just unspeakable to imagine that has taken place here in our community, Del Duca said. He applauded the reaction of York police and other first responders for their timely contribution, “And I want to thank all of our brave first responders for the work that they did yesterday to secure what I know must have been a very difficult situation.”
