VAUGHAN, Ont.--A resident at the condominium in Vaughan where a fatal shooting on Dec. 18 left six dead including the suspect, said the alleged shooter had disputes with members of the condo board. Among the dead are three members of the condo board.
At around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, the York Regional Police (YRP) arrived at the scene of an active shooting at the condo located at 9235 Jane Street, near Rutherford Road, where the police said they found five victims deceased. A sixth victim was later sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspected gunman was identified by police at a press conference today as Francesco Villi.
Matteo Sivitili, who has lived at the condo since 2010, said he had talked to the suspect during several encounters in the building, and that Villi had complained about his disputes with the condo board over “fumes” coming from the condominium’s basement into his unit, which the Villi said was causing him health problems.
“He was complaining because ... he was feeling like a fume or something was coming in the condominium because he used to live on the top of the electric room,” Sivitili told The Epoch Times on Dec. 19.
“He was complaining about that. And he was asking for help. But the board ... they help him to check what could be wrong. They check it and they say everything is okay, no problem. But he was not satisfied. He was still feeling sick because something was coming in.”
Sivitili said he never suspected Villi would commit the crimes.
“He didn’t look like a bad person,” he said.
YRP said in a press conference on Dec. 19 that three of the five people killed in the shooting were members of the condo board. YRP said they are not yet able to release the identities of the victims, but said three men and two women have been killed.
Justice Joseph Di Luca had thrown out the case this summer, calling it “frivolous” and “vexatious.” Court documents also said that the board had sought a restraining order in 2018 against Villi for his “allegedly threatening, abusive, intimidating and harassing behaviour'' towards the board, property management, workers, and other residents.
A man whose Facebook account name is identical to the suspect’s had posted a video on Dec. 16, complaining about the “allergy from hydro-electricity” at his residence in Maple, Ontario–the same neighbourhood as the condo shooting.
Residents React
Frank Ferrant, who just moved into the condo roughly two weeks ago, told reporters that the incident was “scary.”“My daughter and I saw [the police] pulled out a woman and they were given her chest compressions,” he said, adding that he still feels “very safe” at his residency.
Sebastian Savesco, another resident at the condo said he was “just in awe” when he saw dozens of police vehicles and ambulances at the condo when he arrived home at around 11 p.m. on Dec. 18.
“I thought maybe there was a problem going on, but seeing at least 20 to 30 cops lined up, multiple ambulances, coming home after a long day, is just mind-blowing,” he told The Epoch Times. “Being told that we’re in lockdown, being searched as we were going inside the building—it is scary.”
YRP Chief Jim MacSween expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
“We know that the City of Vaughan was left shaken after the tragedy that occurred yesterday evening,” he wrote in a Twitter post on Dec. 19.
“Our deepest condolences are with the families and friends of the victims. YRP family liaison officers and the [Victim Services of York Region] are supporting those impacted.”
Four investigators and two forensic investigators have been assigned to the case. One subject official has been designated so far, according to the SIU.
An autopsy is scheduled for Dec. 20.
