Two men who the police said were “soldiers” in the Mafia “family” of Joseph A. Colombo Sr. were slain gangland style by shotgun blasts in the back early yesterday in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.

The bodies were found on the sidewalk outside a bakery shop at 1729 86th Street, near Bay 16th Street. They were identified as Thomas Barbusca, 44 years old, of 19 Benedict Road, Todt Hill, and John Coiro, 35, of 113 North Pine Terrace; Annadale, both Staten Island.

They were attacked as they sat in a 1971 Buick that was registered in the name of Mr. Coiro's wife, June. Mr. Coiro apparently sought to flee the killers, the police said, because he was found face downward about 25 feet from the vehicle. Mr. Barbusca's body lay beside the automobile.

A Bid for Power?

Robbery was not the motive, the police said, since both men had money on their persons. A number of shotgun shells were recovered at the scene.
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The police said they had received undercover reports that both men had been making moves to increase their power in the Colombo family since the June 28, 1971, shooting of Mr. Colombo in Columbus Circle. Mr. Colombo has been incapacitated since then, and his replacement, Joseph Yacovelli, has not been an effective leader, since he has been in hiding from the authorities.

In April, 1971, the two men, along with Mr. Colombo and 25 others, were indicted on charges of conspiring to run a $50,000‐to‐$100,000‐a‐week numbers operation, which had its headquarters in a Bensonhurst social club. The indictment alleged that policemen were paid off to permit the operation.

It was also reported that the two had worked in a lucrative gambling operation with Dominick Scialo, a reputed “captain” in the Colombo family. Mr. Scialo has been missing since last January, when he started off on a Florida vacation, the police said.

Mr. Coiro's police record showed that he had been arrested in connection with two thefts at Staten Island stores, in one instance worth $35,000, and the other, $200,000.

Homicide detectives said that they had obtained sketchy reports from neighbors who said they heard shots. However, one commented:

“It's the usual thing in these type of killings. Nobody heard nothing and nobody saw nothing.