‘Hitman’ held over murder of Gambino mafia boss Frank Cali after cops reveal he shook hands with his killer before being gunned down on camera
AN ALLEGED Hitman is being held over the murder of Gambino mafia boss Frank Cali after cops revealed the victim shook hands with his killer before being gunned down on camera.
Cali’s murder was the first mob-style assassination of a New York crime boss ever recorded on video.
The 53-year-old was “whacked” on Wednesday in front of his Staten Island mansion, fuelling fears the slaying could spark a war between rival mob families.
“Doing it at their home with family, that breaks a rule,” federal Mafia prosecutor Joe Peters told “Fox and Friends” Friday.
“But they’re used to breaking rules because they’re not supposed to be involved in drugs, and heroin is one of their biggest businesses.”
A 24-year-old Staten Island resident is being questioned in connection with the shooting, say detectives.
Now the New York Post claims Cali and his killer were captured on surveillance footage from the mobster’s brick mansion in the Todt Hill district.
Cali reportedly exited his home shortly before 9.20pm after a motorist in a blue 4×4 reversed into Cali’s silver Cadillac Escalade.
Footage from the property, which authorities obtained using a search warrant, shows Cali and the man having a conversation and shaking hands before the man passes Cali the license plate that fell off the Cadillac during the crash, police sources said.
The hitman — approximately 25 to 40 years of age — then opened fire with a 9mm weapon as Cali turned his back and was putting the license plate in the trunk of the Escalade, according to sources.
“It’s not like they came out, started a fistfight,” the high-ranking source said.
“The importance of that is — it’s almost as if proof of the concept that hitting the car was contrived.”
“It doesn’t look like there was any rage,” said the source.
The gunman fired 12 rounds, shooting Cali at least six times.
Cali tried to escape the hail of bullets by hiding under the Cadillac, which initially led investigators to believe that he had been run over during the attack. Police no longer believe that was the case.
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The city Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Friday that Cali died from gunshot wounds, an ME source said.
Cali’s body was transferred from the Kings County Hospital morgue on Friday to the Scarpaci Funeral Home on Staten Island where a wake will be held for him, sources said.
Meanwhile, officers armed with a search warrant removed electronics, including cellphones and laptops, from Cali’s home Thursday as police deepen their investigation into the slaying, sources said.