New York police said Sunday they are questioning a 24-year-old male in connection with the shooting death of Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali. In a statement, police said the investigation is still in progress and an arrest has not yet been made.
Cali, the reputed boss of the Gambino crime family, was gunned and mowed down Wednesday night outside his home on Staten Island. There were a dozen shots in all, six of them striking Cali in the chest. His wife and children were home at the time.
“He has a conversation with an individual in front of that residence and that individual at some point in time, it’s only about a minute into it, pulls out a firearm and shots are fired,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea.
Police said surveillance video captures the shooter, and the pick-up believed to be the getaway truck. Cali’s body was found in an area of Staten Island that has been home to some of New York’s most notorious mobsters and their families.
The shooting is reminiscent of the 1985 murder of another Gambino crime boss, Paul Castellano, who was gunned down outside a popular New York City steakhouse in 1985.
Castellano’s death led to the rise of John “Dapper Don” Gotti, who then took over as Gambino family boss, running criminal enterprises ranging from gambling to money laundering to prostitution. After Gotti went to prison, Cali eventually took over the organization.
Police are looking into whether this was the work of an organized crime gang, or a faction inside the Gambino family, including John Gotti’s brother, Gene, who was just released just months ago after serving 29 years for dealing heroin.
DeMarco Morgan contributed to this report.
