Paolo Caputo was gunned down outside of his restaurant in broad daylight in what may be another mafia hit.
The 64-year-old owner of Domani’s Restaurant was hit multiple times and died at the scene according to authorities. The hitman reportedly fired the shots from a late model white Mercedes SUV that was driven by an accomplice. The shooter than tossed the weapon from the vehicle as they made their escape. Homicide Squad Det. Sgt. Andy Singh said its believed the vehicle in question had been seen in the area for an extended period of time before the shooting. The investigation into the targeted shooting is ongoing and police are looking to a thin male approx 5’11” tall with a fair complexion along with the driver who they believe may be either Latino or Asian.
“Paolo Caputo”
Caputo wasn’t involved in organized crime according to reports but his younger twin brothers have been linked to the Rizzuto crime family. According to a police source, Caputo used to own the Savorie Restaurant in Forest Hill a spot that former Rizzuto family godfather Vito Rizzuto would visit when he was in Toronto. It is where Vito could have met with and even discussed mob business with the Caputo brothers.
One of his younger brothers Martino Caputo was part of a hit team that killed drug trafficker Johnnie “Johnny Maserati” Raposa back in 2012. Raposa was shot to death in broad daylight at the Sicilian Sidewalk Cafe while watching a Euro Cup soccer game on TV. According to reports, the Raposo killing was connected to a group called the Wolfpack Alliance. The Wolfpack is a new generation of gangsters recently linked to what remains of the Rizzuto family challenging the old guard of the Ndrangheta for control of key drug markets. Martino was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017 along with three others and remains behind bars.
The motive for the shooting is still a mystery and it remains unclear as to whether or not it’s tied in any way to the recent unrest in the local underworld. Perhaps it was mistaken identity or something of the sort. But it does have the hallmarks of a street gang shooting which has been a calling card of late for the mafia in Canada. They have been farming out most of the recent wet work to local street gangs.
