Targeting a woman would go against 'unwritten rules' of Montreal's organized crime
The killing of a woman in broad daylight in her car this week is believed by police to be linked to organized crime, Montreal's police chief told reporters on Wednesday, while he was attending a meet-and-greet the department hosted for members of the public.
"I can't share much with you but we know it's connected to organized crime," said Fady Dagher.
Dagher did share one significant concern: that if, as suspected, the shooting death is linked to organized crime, it would be the first time in Montreal history that a woman was targeted.
"It is concerning. I'm going to be honest with you, but as chief, I was like, oh, wait a minute, did we cross a line? Are we going somewhere else now? This is our concern now. We are looking into it to find out what happened to that person at that moment," Dagher said.
On Tuesday, a 39-year-old woman was struck by several gunshots while driving her car in a parking lot Tuesday afternoon in the city's Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.
The victim is Claudia Iacono, the owner of the Salon Deauville Coiffure Spa, where the deadly shooting occurred, sources told Noovo Info.
Read more: Daughter-in-law of Montreal mobster shot dead outside salon in broad daylight
'UNWRITTEN RULE'
A Montreal journalist who has been covering police investigations and organized crime for many years also said when speaking about the Mafia, that targeting a woman would be new territory for them.
Daniel Renaud of La Presse said there are "unwritten rules that you don't touch women or children if they're not implicated in Mafia activity."
He said he has spoken to many people, including people "in the mob world," who told him what was done "is unpardonable."
In an interview with CTV News, Renaud laid out the likely investigative route that Montreal police would follow to determine why Iacono was killed, which he presumed will include three hypotheses.
"First of all, they will see if Madame Iacono was killed on the order of someone close to her, because it's normal in a murder investigation that the police first suspect people around the victim," Renaud said.
Secondly, police will examine if she was targeted because of something she may have been involved in herself to see if it was a more personal settling of accounts, he said.
"Third, they will see if she was killed because of the link between her husband and the Montreal Mafia," said Renaud.
Iacono's husband, Antonio Gallo, is the son of Moreno Gallo, a man who had ties to organized crime and was assassinated in an Acapulco restaurant on Nov. 10, 2013.
Another expert said, however, it's not that unusual in Mafia circles for there to be retribution against any member of a family.
"I think there is a misconception about the idea that the Mafia is not killing women or children," Antonio Nicaso, an organized crime author and Queen's University professor, said Wednesday from Italy.
"The history of the Mafia is full of women and children who've been killed, so I think when they have an obstacle, when they have to send a message, they don't pay attention to gender, they have to deliver a message and that is important for them, nothing else."
LISTEN on CJAD 800: Is Montreal headed for an organized crime war?
'VERY TENSE' BETWEEN RIVAL CLANS
Either way, the atmosphere in Montreal is "very tense" right now as evidenced by the frequency of recent fires in restaurants and cafes, said Renaud, and especially by the attempted murder two months ago of Leonardo Rizzuto, the son of the late reputed Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto.
"This is very important; this is a clear message against the Sicilian clan of the Mafia," said Renaud, adding the clash could escalate.
"Is it possible that it's the beginning of a conflict?"
"It's too early to say, there may be other surprises," he said. "We will only know if and when something else happens."
And it may take a while. In Montreal, the Mafia sometimes settles scores many years after the insult.
It's also possible the two sides, the Sicilian group and what Renaud described as a rival alliance or consortium formed of bikers, some Mafia members, some gang members and other groups from organized crime, could sit down and settle it without violence.
Both would be motivated by the same factors, namely that more violence is bad for organized crime because it draws the interest of police.
But Renaud is dubious that the differences can be swept under the rug. "I think at this time, post the Leonardo Rizzuto attempt, it will be very difficult for all involved to sit down and make peace," he said.
With files from CTV's Tania Krywiak, Matthew Gilmour and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.