Francesco Villi identified as Toronto gunman who killed five
The man who opened fire and killed five people at a condo building in Toronto, Canada on Sunday has been identified by police as 𒈔73-year-old Francesco Villi.
Villi was shot dead by off𒅌icers who responede to the building in Vaughan, Ontario, where he launched a vio💙lent rampage against members of its condo board — whom he apparently had a longstanding dispute with.
Villi, who also lived in th✃e building, reportedly went door-to-door targeting specific residents whom he felt had done him wrong. He had also targeted his condo board in lawsuits spanning years, .
Police have not shared an official motive behind the “horrendous” crime. At a news conference Monday afternoon, Police Chief Jim MacSween confirmed Villi was the shooter, but said police were unable to publicly identify the victims.
He said three men and two women were killed, and three of the victims were members of the condo board. Another♏ woman was injur✨ed and remains hospitalized while getting treatment.
“Horrendous scene,” said MacSween. “Six deceased. One of them is the subject. The other five are victims.”
The chief said there was no further threat to the community and was hoꦍping to get residents back into the building.
During a noon briefing, th♌e Special Investigations Unit confirmed the shooter had used a semi-automatic han🐎dgun in the terrifying attack.
A spokesperson said Villi 🐽was killed during an interaction with police in a hallway of the building. Officials recovered his weapon but could n🐼ot say whether the gun was legally obtained.
The condo board previously filed a restraining order against Villi over his “allegedly threatening, abusive, intimidating and harassing behavior,” according to court documents obtained by the Toronto Star.
Villi had made many unsubstantiated allegations against the condo board members over𝓡 the years, sharing in a series of bizarre social media posts and videos he belie💟ved they were intentionally trying to harm him.
Villi also claimed in a lawsuit an electrical room below his unit had not been constructed properly and “electromagnetic waves” were being emitted from it which had caused him pain since 2010. He also posted an image of a letter to Facebook where he claimed he had “chronic obstructive lung disease” and needed to be in an environment without dust or pollution.
His most recent case against three condo board members and three others was dismissed by a judge in September as “frivolous and/or vexatious.”
Current condo board member Tony Cutrone told the Star he joined the board in part because his elderly mother had been bullied by Villi ♒in the past.
Cutrone said he had tried to contac🦂t several board me💙mbers since Sunday.
“I messaged and tried to call them and they didn’t call back,” he said, still shaken by the horrific incident.
Cutrone said he’s working with police to find counseling for residents like his mother who were not targeted in the shooting but affected by it.
Resident John Santoro, a member of the condo board for about a year, remembered Villi’s erratic complaints spanning back at least five years.
While speaking to reporters outside the building he said Villi was “not a monster” and had always thought he needed “professional help.”
“I commented to my wife several times it’s going to end very badly,” he said.
Mass shootings are incredibly rare in Cana🥀da, and Toronto has long been considered one of the safest cities in the world.
After a gunman shot and killed 22 people in Portapique, Nova Scotia in 2022, Canada banned over 1,500 models of “assault-style firearms and components,” and has set further limits on the types of bullets people are allowed to purchase.
