New York City police officer Joe Petrosino stood in Palermo's Piazza Marina, waiting to meet an informant supposed to give him information about the Mafia. No informant ever arrived. Instead, Petrosino was gunned down. Four shots. There ended the life and career of the Italian American who had made it his mission to fight and eradicate organized crime in the United States.

At his funerals in New York City a few days later, as many as 200,000 people were said to have shown up to pay their respects. Such was the admiration and appreciation for the work carried out by Giuseppe "Joe" Petrosino, a man who almost did not make it into the police department because he did not meet the height requirements. 

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Source: http://www.italymagazine.com/