Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua speaks after third recent murder
Bevilacqua says people 'should not live in fear'

yorkregion.com
April 2, 2017
By Tim Kelly

After three murders in his city in just 17 days, Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua has said local residents, "should not live in fear."

The mayor made an unprecedented statement about safety and security in Vaughan Saturday night because of what he termed "recent tragic events in the past few weeks."

Those events include a slaying outside a private club on Friday night that left Vaughan's Domenic Triumbari, 55, dead, with the suspect still at large.

They also include the March 23 murder of Ajax resident Laquan Lyew, 26, while police say he was stopped at Interchange Way and Hwy. 7. Lyew died of gunshot wounds while on the way to hospital. The suspect in that murder is also still at large.

The shooting death that started it off happened on March 14 when 28-year-old Mila Barberi of Vaughan was shot dead in a company parking lot while waiting for her partner by a masked man, who is still wanted for the murder.

In all, there have now been 11 murders and 12 shootings in Vaughan since 2013, all during Bevilacqua's mayoralty.

"We are working closely with York Regional police," said Bevilacqua.

"The safety and security of our citizens is of the utmost importance... we understand the public's concern over the senseless shootings... these terrible tragedies appears to be isolated," he said.

He said he believes Vaughan remains one of the safest cities in Canada.

Police are still searching for the suspects in all three recent killings and are asking anyone with information to contact York Regional Police at 1-866-876-5423.

SIDEBAR

There have been 11 murders and 12 shootings in Vaughan since 2013.

Among them are the following:

In June 2013, Sam Calautti and his associate, James Tusek, were gunned down while in their vehicle outside a banquet hall.

Carmine Verduci was also murdered.

Also shot and killed have been Ritesh Thakur, who was killed outside the Home Sense at Hwy. 7 and Weston Road, in May 2014 and Sarhad Sadiq, of Nobleton, who was shot outside a cafe on Woodstream Boulevard the following month.

Next, it was Gul Mohammed Alakoozi, who was shot at a home on Via Borghese in 2014.

Maria Voci and Christopher de Simone were killed at Moka Cafe in 2015.