Victims of Vaughan condo mass-shooting identified

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Published December 20, 2022 at 5:00 pm

Francesco Villi is believed to be responsible for the mass shooting yesterday in Vaughan.

York Regional Police have identified the five people killed in Sunday night’s mass shooting in a Vaughn condo building.

The victims, all of whom lived in the condo building, are Rita Camilleri, 57, Vittorio Panza, 79, Russell Manock, 75, Helen Manock, 71 and Naveed Dada, 59. A sixth victim, an unidentified 66-year-old woman, remains in the hospital with serious injuries.

Three of the dead served on the condo’s board and the injured woman was married to another member. Her husband was in the apartment during the attack.

The suspected gunman, Francisco Villi, 73, was killed in a hallway by responding officers. Villi had long-standing issues with the building’s board, resulting in a lawsuit that was tossed out of court as “frivolous.”Villi alleged the board planned to “torture” and “systematically murder” him through exposure to an electrical room beneath his condo.

He had lived in the building since 2010 occupying unit 104 on the first floor. Since then he developed a history of threatening condo board members, even taking them to court in 2019 seeking $8.5 million.

However, Justice Joseph Di Luca tossed Villi’s case in July. He found that Villi’s statement of claim was clearly written by a layperson and read more like a list of charges. It included allegations of perjury, extortion, fraud, criminal harassment, criminal intimidation, defamatory libel and slander and “abusively abusing” power.

“As I understand it, Mr.Villi believes that the electrical room which sits beneath his unit is improperly constructed, resulting in the emission of electromagnetic waves which have caused him significant pain and suffering over the years,” Di Luca wrote in his decision to toss the suit.

“Villi believes that the board members of the Corporation have actively engaged in efforts to intentionally harm him, likely at the behest of the powerful developer who built the condominium,” Di Luca said, “Villi believes that all the individuals involved have not only conspired to harm him but have also conspired to ensure that the truth of the matter never surfaces.”

After the suit was tossed in July Vill’s normally very busy Facebook page remained dormant until September. At this point he began to fill his page with largely incomprehensible posts lamenting a loss of “Liberty Rights” and freedom of speech.

He frequently shared images and video of his nose running and expectorated mucus, alleging it was a lung infection caused by the electrical room. His page has since been locked down.

His posts became increasingly strange in over the fall with increasing religious references including to Satan and demonic influences. He shared his belief that the United States had purchased Italy and that the country of his birth no longer existed.

Meanwhile the board was trying to remove Villi from the building. They sought a penalty against him to evict him from the building and force him to sell his unit within 90 day. Villi was scheduled to appear in court on December 19.

The posts became increasingly violent and filled with conspiracy theories alleging the world had been corrupted by Satan thus influencing the case against him. He posted nine increasingly delusional posts in the 24 hours before the attack, last updating at 2:30 p.m on December 18.

At 7:30 p.m. the attack began. Police allege Villi began to roam the hallways with a semi-automatic pistol. According to investigators he went to three units on multiple floors to shoot the victims.

York police said ascertaining the motive of the attack is part of “a very complicated and very fluid investigation.”

Police entered the building after the residents were killed. An officer encountered Villi in a hallway and shot him following an interaction. The Special Investigations Unit is investigating Villi’s death.

With files from The Canadian Press

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