Ali Winston and William K. Rashbaum

<h1>The brazen shooting of the boss, Francesco Cali, in front of his home in the Todt Hill section of Staten Island on Wednesday shocked residents and longtime observers of the Mafia alike and fueled speculation that New York City was seeing the return of open mob conflict that last erupted decades ago.</h1>

Several officials, however, said Saturday that preliminary information suggested that the killing of Cali, 53, was not related to organized crime. One official cautioned that the inquiry was still in its early stages.

The last time a high-ranking Mafia figure like Cali was murdered was in 1985, when the Gambino chief Paul Castellano was assassinated in front of a high-end Manhattan steakhouse on the orders of John J. Gotti. The hit led to Gotti’s ascent to the head of the Gambino organization and touched off years of instability and internecine conflict.

The man police said was involved in Cali’s death, Anthony Comello, was taken into custody in Brick Township, New Jersey, on Saturday morning, according to multiple sources. He was being held in the Ocean County Jail at the request of the New York Police Department, according to a jail official.

The identification and apprehension of Comello did little to clarify the motive behind the shooting.

“Was he acting alone?” Dermot F. Shea, the Police Department’s chief of detectives, said at a news conference Saturday. “Was he acting for other people? What was the motive? I simply, standing here in front of you, do not have all the answers.”

After initially speaking with detectives Saturday morning, Comello retained a lawyer and refused to give further statements.

Court records showed that murder and related charges were filed against Comello and that a case had been docketed. The case appeared in the New York State court system’s computerized database.

Two law enforcement officials said Comello had no criminal history, but had nonetheless come to the attention of law enforcement before.

Sometime in recent years, his strange behavior in a federal courthouse led the U.S. Marshals Service to briefly take him into custody and ask the Police Department’s Intelligence Division to check its records to determine if he had any history of terroristic threats. Neither of the officials had any details about the specific nature of his behavior, but both said no such history could be found.

Around 9:17 p.m. Wednesday, a pickup truck driven by Comello backed into Cali’s parked Cadillac Escalade, damaging it. He then walked up to the door of Cali’s Hilltop Terrace home and rang the bell, where, law enforcement sources said, his face was caught on video.

Cali and Comello spoke for roughly a minute, in a conversation also recorded by surveillance cameras and reviewed by investigators. The footage showed that Comello, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap, bent down and picked up a license plate that had fallen off the Escalade. Fingerprints from the license plate were recovered, according to Shea, but it was unclear what the forensic evidence revealed.

Cali took the license plate and walked back to his car, where he placed it in the rear. At that moment, the gunman pulled out a 9 mm pistol and fired 12 times, officials said. Cali was shot multiple times, resulting in 10 bullet wounds, Shea said.

The truck Comello drove was recovered on Saturday morning in New Jersey. The handgun used to kill Cali has not been found.=

Staten Island Man Is Charged in Gambino Boss Death, but Mob Link Is Missing

NEW YORK — A 24-year-old Staten Island man who was taken into police custody Saturday in connection with the fatal shooting of the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family faces murder charges, according to court records and officials.

Staten Island man is charged in Gambino boss death, but mob link is missing

<h1>The motive for the killing was unclear, Dermot F. Shea, the Police Department’s chief of detectives, said at a news conference.</h1>

“Was he acting alone?” he said. “Was he acting for other people? What was the motive? I simply, standing here in front of you, do not have all the answers.”

He identified the man as Anthony Comello, and sources said he was taken into custody in Brick Township, New Jersey, on Saturday morning. He was being held in the Ocean County Jail at the request of the Police Department, according to a jail official.

Several officials said preliminary information suggested that the killing of Francesco Cali, who was shot outside his home on Staten Island on Wednesday night, was not related to organized crime. However, one official cautioned that the inquiry was still in its early stages.

After speaking with detectives Saturday morning, Comello retained a lawyer and has not given a statement since.

“We expect him to be charged with the murder of Francesco Cali,” Shea said.

Two law enforcement officials said Comello had no criminal history, but had nonetheless previously come to the authorities’ attention.

Sometime in recent years, his strange behavior in a federal courthouse was such that the U.S. Marshals Service briefly took him into custody and asked the New York Police Department’s Intelligence Division to check its records to determine if he had any history of terroristic threats. Neither of the officials had any details about the specific nature of his behavior, but both said no such history could be found.

Fingerprints were recovered from Cali’s vehicle, but police would not confirm that the forensic evidence pointed toward Comello. Police said they have not recovered a weapon.

Cali, 53, was shot 10 times, the chief said. Police said they received a report about the shooting outside 25 Hilltop Terrace in the Todt Hill section of Staten Island around 9:20 p.m.

Around 9:17 p.m., a pickup truck driven by Comello backed into Cali’s parked Cadillac Escalade, damaging it. He then walked up to the door of Cali’s house and rang the bell, where, law enforcement sources said, his face was caught on video.

Cali and Comello spoke for roughly a minute, in a conversation also recorded by surveillance cameras and reviewed by investigators. The footage showed Comello, dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap, bend down and pick up a license plate that had fallen off the Escalade.

Cali took the license plate and walked back to his car, where he placed in it the rear. At that moment, the gunman pulled out a 9 mm pistol and fired 12 times, officials said.

The truck Comello drove was recovered Saturday morning in New Jersey. The handgun used to kill Cali has not been found.

Staten Island Man Expected to Be Charged in Killing of Gambino Mob Boss, Police Say

NEW YORK — Police took a 24-year-old Staten Island man into custody in connection with the fatal shooting of the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family and expected to charge him with murder, officials said Saturday.

Staten Island man expected to be charged in killing of Gambino mob boss, police say

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Ali Winston and William K. Rashbaum

Articles written by the author

Staten Island man is charged in Gambino boss death, but mob link is missing

Staten Island man expected to be charged in killing of Gambino mob boss, police say