MONTREAL - When members of the Rizzuto clan moved into their newly constructed luxury homes on Antoine Berthelet Ave. in the 1980s, they probably coveted the privacy the wooded area behind them provided.

But that same wooded area, which has remained untouched for decades despite rapid residential development in the neighbourhood, also provided cover for anyone looking to settle a score with the Rizzutos.

Police say that appears to be what happened Wednesday just before dinner when Nicolo (Zio Cola) Rizzuto, 86, was fatally shot inside his home in the city's Cartierville district. Police say they think at least one shooter was waiting in the woods around 5:40 p.m. and shot Rizzuto while he was at a window facing the thick trees beyond his backyard.

Thursday morning, police focused most of their attention on that small wooded area, which runs behind Nicolo Rizzuto’s home, as well as his son Vito’s and his son-in-law Paolo Renda, who is believed to have been kidnapped nearby earlier this year. Police used metal detectors and a sniffer dog to go over the private property. Shortly before 10 a.m. the police removed all of the police tape that had shut down Antoine Berthelet Ave., often referred to by police as “Mafia Row,” for several hours.

The area includes a long, well manicured, grass path that cuts through many trees. The only barrier to the path from Gouin Blvd. is an old wooden fence. A gunman could have easily walked down the path after sundown undetected and waited until he saw Rizzuto’s face in a back window.

The front of Rizzuto’s house includes a high-tech security camera and another was installed at the south side of the back of the house as well.

Two women were inside the house with Rizzuto when he was shot, said Montreal police Constable Daniel Lacoursière on Wednesday night. Both women were taken to hospital to be treated for shock.

Major crimes detectives had not yet arrived at the scene as Lacoursière spoke, about three hours after the shooting.

As reporters began to gather beyond the police tape that cordoned off the street last night, a woman was seen leaving Vito Rizzuto’s home. She was overcome by emotion, and another woman helped her walk to Renda’s home next door. Loris Cavaliere, a Montreal lawyer who has represented members of the Rizzuto family in the past, was also seen entering and exiting Renda’s home.

Residents who live in the neighbourhood said they were not surprised to learn of Rizzuto’s death.

“It’s just sad, more than anything,” said a grey-haired man who lives nearby and only wanted to be identified as Paul. “I didn’t know him personally, but I knew of him, because they attend the same church as me and vote in the same area. It’s sad. I walked down to see what was going on.”

Paul said he was aware of the drama that has been playing out in regarding the Rizzuto family in the last year. But he said he believed Rizzuto was out of the criminal life because of his age.