Pasquale (Pat) Musitano the alleged boss of the Hamilton’s Musitano crime family was shot outside of a lawyers office in Mississauga.
The assassination attempt of the 51-year-old mobster comes just days after the death of his uncle and former mobster Anthony ‘Tony’ Musitano. According to reports he was taken to a local trauma center and while his condition is unknown he is seemingly fighting for his life. Renewed tensions amongst the Hamilton mafia clans led to the murder of Pat’s brother Angelo Musitano in the driveway of his Waterdown home back in May of 2017. According to another lawyer in the office, Pat was attending an early morning meeting with his lawyer Joseph Irving. He said “He had the meeting and he left,” said Malik. “Mr. Irving walked him to the door and said ‘Bye Bye. Ciao Ciao and then something happened in the parking lot.”
“Pat Musitano”
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing according to local authorities. Pat Musitano is believed to have taken control of the mafia family after the death of his father Dominic Musitano in 1995. This is not the first time Pat has been targeted which included his home being riddled with bullets just weeks after his brother’s murder. Pat Musitano and Angelo Musitano are believed to have taken out former mafia boss Johnny (Pops) Papalia back in 1997. Many think the Papalia hit was orchestrated on behalf of the Rizzuto family during their take over in Montreal.
The Musitano family along with the Luppinos and Papalias were vying for control of the territory. The alleged alliance with powerful Montreal godfather Vito Rizzuto seemingly gave the Musitano’s the edge it needed to grab control. Many mafia experts theorize that the recent attacks could be payback for those past transgressions. With the recent Montreal mafia war and the fall from power of the once powerful Rizzuto crime family after Vito’s death, it may have given the Musitano families enemies the break they had been waiting for.
While it’s still unclear as to exactly what’s happening in Hamilton there could definitely be more violence to come. Is this a settling of accounts often seen within the Mafia or is it simply a power grab by someone else looking to take control? Is this another hit in a now ongoing Hamilton mafia war?
