Organized Crime: A Gang That Still Can't Shoot Straight

When the trigger-happy Colombo family goes to war with itself, innocent bystanders had better look out

Gangsters who blow out each other's brains may be performing a public service. Unless, that is, the public starts getting in the way. Such is the crisis facing law-enforcement officials in Brooklyn, N.Y., where the city's worst intrafamily gangland war in 30 years is now raging. The culprits: the black-sheep Colombo clan, the Mafia's most reckless, divisive and dull-witted crime outfit. Not only have six members or associates of the group been killed since late November, but at least five innocent bystanders have also been shot or otherwise injured. Seeking to bring the gunplay under control, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes...

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