WATCH ABOVE: York Regional Police have confirmed the Vaughan café where two people were killed and two others injured in a shooting last month was also running an unlicensed gambling operation. Whether that’s a possible motive for the double murder is still unclear. Catherine McDonald has the latest on the investigation.
TORONTO – York Regional Police believe a gambling operation was being run in the back of a Vaughan café where two people were fatally shot last month.
Although the shooting — which also injured two others — is still under investigation, authorities cannot say whether or not this new bit of information is connected to the double homicide.
Police told Global News Wednesday that the alleged gambling operation included card tables and electronic gambling machines such as slot machines located in the back of the café.
Four people were shot on the morning of June 24 after a gunman opened fire at the Moke Café near Islinton Ave. and Highway 7.
READ MORE: New images of suspect in Vaughan café shooting released by police
Maria Voci, 47, and Christopher de Simone, 24, both from Vaughan, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Sandor Mihaly said he frequented the café for lunch and coffee on occasion, but was unaware of the gambling allegations and believes Voci was as well.
“I don’t know, it’s the first time I heard it,” he said, adding that he didn’t see any gambling activity in the back of the café where the gambling allegedly took place.
Greg Rogers, who works in a nearby automobile collision repair centre, says he’s not surprised about the gambling allegations from what he’s seen and heard at the location.
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“Lot’s of people said there was stuff going on. I was never in there, never been in there, but lots of people said it was going on,” he said.
“I knew there was activity in the back room … they used to have barbecues out the back so yeah they were in and out the back all of the time.”
The two surviving victims have since been released from hospital and police said they have spoken to investigators but will not be identified in order to ensure their safety.
Const. Andy Pattenden said homicide investigators had been working “tirelessly” on the case since the shooting.
“It’s too early to say whether that was a motive for the shooting,” he said.
“But it’s information that we want to release at this point in time because it may mean that there were other people here in and around the time of the shooting or beforehand that may have known more about what took place at the Moka Café.”
Pattenden said investigators can’t confirm how long the gambling operation was operating at the location or whether it was illegal or not, but said as far as investigators know it was not licensed.
Police have since located the stolen 2011 black Nissan Versa believed to have been used in the shooting.
Authorities have also released a video of the suspect caught on a surveillance camera outside of the strip mall where the incident took place.
READ MORE: Police seek witnesses after 2 dead, 2 injured in Vaughan café shooting
Police say they have received a “significant” number of tips from the public regarding the suspect’s identity and are urging the man to seek legal counsel and turn himself in.
VIDEO: Dissecting the suspect video from the Moka Café murders
Anyone with information in this case is urged to call the York Police Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 2411, or email the Homicide Unit at homicide@yrp.ca, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS, or leave an anonymous tip online at http://www.1800222tips.com, or text your tip to CRIMES (274637) starting with the word YORK.
With files from Catherine McDonald
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