Estranged daughters of Vaughan condo shooter call him ‘controlling and abusive’

The family of the suspected gunman in a mass shooting in Vaughan describe him as a “controlling and abusive” man who displayed “Jekyll and Hyde” tendencies.

In a joint statement, the three daughters of Francesco Villi say they are heartbroken after Sunday’s shooting — expressing condolences to the families of victims.

“Words cannot begin to express how deeply heartbroken we are for the families affected by this horrific tragedy,” reads the family’s statement shared by the province’s Special Investigation Unit. “We are in absolute shock and utter devastation at the events that have transpired.”

His daughters say they have been estranged from their father for longer than five years.

“His children tried to have some form of a relationship through the years and many offers of help were continuously denied, leaving them no choice but to cut off ties with him for their own health and wellbeing,” reads the family’s statement.

The family has asked for privacy and adds the statement will be the only one they make regarding Sunday’s shooting.

The 73-year-old Villi is suspected of killing five people, three of them condo board members, before he was fatally shot by a York Regional Police officer at the condo building he resided in near Jane Street and Rutherford Road in Vaughan.

Investigators are still working to determine a motive of what they’ve called a “horrendous scene.”

Court documents suggest Villi was involved in a protracted dispute with the condo board. Documents indicate he was expected in court Monday regarding his contravention of an existing court order from 2019 intended to shield the board and building staff from harassment and threats.

Residents tell CityNews that they had expressed their concerns about Villi’s behaviour on multiple occasions, citing his temperamental personality and aggressiveness towards other people in the building.

He reportedly had a long list of workplace injury claims, many of which were dismissed in court, dating back to the 1980s, according to the National Post. He was diagnosed with adjustment disorder, depression, and suicidal ideations in 1994.

Mourners laid flowers at the condo where the shooting took place on Tuesday. A candlelight vigil will be held at Vaughan City Hall Wednesday evening to honour the victims.

The five victims have been identified as Rita Camilleri, 57, Vittorio Panza, 79, Russell Manock, 75, Lorraine Manock, 71 and Naveed Dada, 59.

A sixth shooting victim — the wife of a condo board member — remains in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

With files from The Canadian Press