Photo courtesy Hamilton Police Service Hamilton, Ontario police suspect this man of gunning down a 43-year-old man with family ties to organized crime. The Hamilton police have asked their counterparts in the Western New York region to keep an eye out for him.

Is there a Mafia hit man on the loose in the area?

Police in Ontario have asked their colleagues in Western New York to be on the lookout for the man who gunned down a 43-year-old Hamilton resident with family ties to organized crime.

Hamilton police on Wednesday released images of the suspect in the Jan. 30 murder of Cece Luppino at his home. The suspect, whose name is unknown, is described as black, of average or athletic build, wearing a black waist-length winter coat, black pants, black boots, black toque and grey shirt.

According to a press release from the Hamilton Police Service, “The victim arrived home several minutes beforehand and soon after the suspect appeared on the east sidewalk of Rendell Blvd from the south side. He is observed milling around for a short period before walking through the neighbouring property at 52 Mountain Brow Blvd, and into the victim’s open garage. After the shooting, the suspect flees in the same direction and was last seen running southbound on Rendell Blvd.”

An article in the Hamilton Spectator newspaper indicates that Cece Luppino is not suspected of personal involvement in organized crime. However, his grandfather, Giacomo Luppino, was a mob boss, and his father, Rocco Giacomo, was alleged in court documents to also be a “made” member of the Mafia.

The Spectator article also notes that Cece Luppino’s cousins, Domenico and Giuseppe (Joe) Violi, were sent to prison after pleading guilty in a drug trafficking scheme in 2018. Domenico Violi was captured on a wiretap saying he was the “underboss” of the Buffalo Mafia.