Police have identified the suspect in a deadly shooting spree at Bellaria Residences condo building, in Vaughan, Ontario on Dec. 18, as Francesco Villi, aged 73.
Police have now confirmed that three of those killed in a shooting spree that began around 7:20 p.m. ET were members of the condo board.
At a news conference, York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said Villi was also a resident of the condo complex. Police have not yet released the names of the victims, pending the coroner’s office confirming their identities and notifying their next of kin.
Villi, who lived on the first floor of the building, is suspected of moving through the condo while shooting people with a semi-automatic handgun, ultimately killing five victims—three men and two women—in three separate units. A 66-year old woman is also in hospital with injuries.
Dispute
The suspect was reportedly involved in ongoing legal disputes with the condominium corporation that manages the property.According to court documents, Villi had been involved in confrontations with his neighbours. In October 2019, the court issued an injunction against Mr. Villi to stop him from taking photos and video or audio recordings of residents, to remove offensive social media posts, and to stop communicating with the condo board and staff.
That lawsuit was thrown out by Justice Joseph Di Luca, who called it “frivolous” and “vexatious.”
In a scheduled court hearing related to Villi on Dec. 19 in another lawsuit, Global News reported that the judge stayed the matter due to Villi’s death.
On Sept. 13, 2021, Mr. Villi was found in contempt of court for continuing to harass residents of the building in violation of a court order. He was ordered to pay $29,500 in costs. Court documents allege that at least two condo managers had quit as a result of Mr. Villi’s conduct, and that his behaviour had reached such an extreme level that it was allegedly “impeding the Condominium’s ability to manage itself.”
