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(NEW YORK) — The first mob boss murder in New York in 30 years may have nothing to do with the mob, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.
A 24-year-old suspect is in custody in connection with the murder of Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali.
The alleged gunman made conflicting statements to police on Saturday which has changed the motive to the fatal shooting.
Officials initially believed the killing was related to Cali’s alleged mob ties.
Sources now believe the suspect was dating one of the reputed mob boss’ female relatives and at some point Cali told the suspect to stop seeing her — sparking a conflict.
The man, whose identity was not released, was taken into custody from Brick, New Jersey by police and the FBI’s organized crime squad, the sources said.
He has not been arrested.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea is expected to hold a press conference Saturday at 4 p.m. to discuss this case.
Cali, who was allegedly the Gambino family boss, was gunned down in front of his Staten Island home on Wednesday night, reigniting focus on the mob for the first time in years.
Cali’s killing was captured on grainy surveillance video, which shows the suspect drive up to the home in a blue pickup truck, come to a stop, then suddenly reverse. The pickup truck then crashes into Cali’s parked Cadillac SUV, multiple police sources told ABC News.
The force of the impact knocked the license plates off the SUV, sources added.
Cali then came outside and talked to the shooter, police sources said. The two men shook hands, and then Cali turned his back to put the license plate inside the SUV.
That’s when the man pulled out a 9mm handgun and fired six bullets into Cali, police officials said.
Detectives discovered a fingerprint on Cali’s SUV and the suspect was tracked by his phone, sources said. The pickup truck eyewitnesses saw at the scene was with him when cops and FBI agents found him, sources said.
A witness told police he saw an individual run toward the driver’s side of the blue pickup truck while simultaneously keeping one hand near his waistband, a source told ABC News.
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