Gunman kills 5 in condo shooting near Toronto
A gunman killed five people in a shooting at a condominium near Toronto, Canada. The gunman, 73 year old Francesco Velli, fatally shot five people before police killed him. The incident happened in the city of Vaughan on Sunday night.
The five people who Velli brutally killed include three men and two women. Velli also injured a 66 year old man who had to be hospitalised.
The victims were found in three separate units of the building, according to York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween. Chief MacSween called the scene of the crime a “horrendous scene.”
Police evacuated the building, but Chief MacSween said there was no further threat to the community. One resident said police went floor to floor to try to uncover if anyone else was involved.
We know that the City of Vaughan was left shaken after the tragedy that occurred yesterday evening.
Our deepest condolences are with the families and friends of the victims. @YRP family liaison officers and @vsyorkregion are supporting those impacted. pic.twitter.com/XOTBvdlf9P
— Chief Jim MacSween (@chiefmacsween) December 19, 2022
Three of the victims killed were members of the condo’s board, police said.
The victims’ names were not immediately released, and Chief MacSween said a motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
On Sunday and days leading up to the shooting, Villi posted Facebook videos in which he talked about a legal dispute he had with the condo’s board.
Villi’s videos included several claims that the building’s electrical room was making him sick. He had lost several legal battles with the condo board. In 2019, the board filed a restraining order against Billi over his harassment of other residents.
Last year he was found in contempt of court for failing to stop harassing residents and continuing to post on Facebook. A few months ago, the company that owns the building asked a court to jail Villi and force him to sell his unit as a “penalty” for this, The Guardian reported.
Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca said…
“Everybody is horrified… To wake up to this news this morning or see it last night, we are in absolute shock. … This is something I never thought I would see here.”
