Four-hour window along Mickleham Rd in Melbourne’s north focus of probe into John Latorre’s execution

Police are honing in on the four hours before the execution of John Latorre, a Melbourne fruiterer with links to powerful Mafia figures, with Mickleham Rd in Melbourne’s north of key interest.

Police are focusing on a four-hour window leading into the pre-dawn execution of a Melbourne fruiterer with links to powerful Mafia figures.

Victorian detectives say they are keen to speak to anyone travelling through Greenvale or Gladstone Park, particularly in the vicinity of Mickleham Rd, between 2am and 6am, on the morning of the cold-blooded hit.

They have put out a blanket call for all dashcam footage any motorist in the area captured during that period.

“We’re hoping this may lead to further avenues of inquiry in relation to our offenders and how they travelled to and from the victim’s house – any small detail could prove crucial in this investigation,” Detective Senior Sergeant Danny Travaglini said on Friday.

“From some of the footage we’ve obtained, it appears there was quite a bit of traffic already in the area on the morning of the shooting.

“This shooting was particularly concerning for police given it occurred in such a publicly violent manner. We are doing everything we can to find those involved and hopefully the right piece of dashcam footage could give us a breakthrough.”

Fruiterer John Latorre was gunned down outside his Greenvale property. Picture: Supplied.

Police are on alert for Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Mr Latorre, a Melbourne fruit and vegetable wholesaler, was shot dead in the driveway of his Greenvale home just after 4:30am on Tuesday.

The early-morning ambush was over in seconds, carried out as he opened the garage door at his Buchanan Place property.

Mr Latorre was known to arrive for work at 5am daily at the Melbourne Market in Epping.

The 64-year-old was believed to be a low-profile but influential member of the Ndrangheta, a Calabrian organised crime group considered one of the most powerful in the world.

He was a firm friend of ‘tomato tin’ drug trafficker Frank Madafferi and regularly visited him in jail.

His brother, Vincent Latorre, was jailed in 2009 for 11 years for his role in blackmailing rival farm and produce owners in the Goulburn Valley region.

A 2007 inquest into the mysterious death of 20-year-old Shepparton man Rocco Iaria named Vincent as a prime suspect in the unsolved killing.

Police have warned they were prepared for the possibility of revenge killings over Mr Latorres death.

Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au