Vincenzo "Vincent" Terranova (May 1886 - May 8, 1922) was a gangster

Gangster

A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....

 and an early Italian-American organized crime figure in the United States. He served as boss

Crime boss

A crime boss or boss is a person in charge of a criminal organization. A boss typically has absolute or near-absolute control over his subordinates, is greatly feared by his subordinates for his ruthlessness and willingness to take lives in order to exert his influence, and profits come from the...

 and underboss

Underboss

Underboss is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The underboss is second in command to the boss...

 of the Morello crime family

Morello crime family

The Morello crime family is the direct ancestor of the Genovese crime family, the oldest of New York City's Five Families.-From Corleone to America:...

, today known as the Genovese crime family

Genovese crime family

The Genovese crime family , is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The Genovese crime family has been nicknamed the "Ivy League" and "Rolls Royce" of organized crime...

, the oldest of the Five Families

Five Families

The Five Families are the five original Italian-American Mafia crime families which have dominated organized crime in America since 1931. The Five Families in New York remain as the powerhouse of the Italian Mafia in the United States.-History:...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

Terranova was born in Corleone

Corleone

Corleone is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy....

, Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

 in 1886. He was the first son of Bernardo Terranova, a member of the Mafia

Mafia

The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...

 in Corleone, and his wife Angelina Piazza. Angelina had a son from a previous marriage, Giuseppe Morello

Giuseppe Morello

Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello , also known as "The Old Fox", was the first boss of the Morello crime family and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as Piddu and his rivals the Castellammarese knew him as Peter Morello...

, and would later give birth to Vincenzo's two brothers, Ciro Terranova

Ciro Terranova

Ciro "The Artichoke King" Terranova was a New York City gangster and one time underboss of the Morello crime family.-Early life:Ciro Terranova was born in the town of Corleone, Sicily...

 and Nicolo Terranova

Nicholas Morello

Nicolo Terranova , also known as Nicholas "Nick" Morello, was one of the first Italian-American organized crime figures in New York City...

. Vincenzo, Nicolo and Ciro along with other relatives emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York on March 8, 1893. Giuseppe Morello had immigrated to New York the previous year and sometime in the 1890s founded a gang known as the 107th Street Mob which evolved into the Morello crime family. His three half brothers would eventually join him in this enterprise.

On May 8, 1922, Vincenzo Terranova was gunned down in a drive-by shooting

Drive-by shooting

A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...

 near his home on East 116th Street in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. Terranova's murder is generally attributed to Rocco Valenti

Rocco Valenti

Rocco Valenti was a New York City gangster and prominent member of the Morello crime family during the early 1900s.-Mafia-Camorra War:Valenti joined the Neapolitan Navy Street Gang in the early 1910s...

, a notorious hitman for the Morello crime family who was trying to seize control over the family.