A man killed another on Friday afternoon as the two strolled down a busy street in the East Village, and the police believe the suspect is an organized-crime figure who testified against two associates in a 1978 murder trial.
The police said the suspect, Salvatore Sinno, 61 years old, shot the victim four times at point-blank range at 12th Street and First Avenue and strode calmly away before being arrested moments later by an off-duty police officer and an off-duty correction officer.
The victim, Louis Santos, 52, was not carrying identification, but his fingerprints were on file with the Police Department, and officials said he had a record of arrests on charges of weapons possession and robbery.
The commanding officer of Manhattan detectives, Assistant Chief Aaron Rosenthal, said the killing was ''very professionally done.'' Apparently a Personal Dispute
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The police said they had not ruled out the possibility that the shooting was Mafia-related, but said it appeared to stem from a personal dispute.
Chief Rosenthal said Mr. Sinno had known Mr. Santos for some time. He said the dispute apparently ''just boiled over.''
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The suspect, a stocky man in expensive clothing, declined to make statements to the police and refused even to give his name. H Police records showed variations on the spelling of his name and indicated that he had also used the alias Edward Schwarock.
The police believe he is the organized-crime figure who came forward to the Federal authorities in the late 1970's and told them that he had taken part in the 1961 killing of a New Jersey teamsters official. He said he had spoken out because he needed protection from other Mafia figures who wanted to kill him. Witness Received Immunity
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Because of Mr. Sinno's statements the case went to trial. He received immunity in exchange for his testimony, which led to the conviction of the two defendants, Anthony (Tony Pro) Provenzano, described as a high-level organized-crime figure who had ordered the killing; and Harold Konigsberg, the man who had joined with Mr. Sinno in carrying it out. Mr. Provenzano and Mr. Konigsberg were sentenced to life in prison.
Mr. Sinno entered the Federal Witness Protection Program after the trial, said Donald Williams Jr., the chief assistant district attorney of Ulster County, N.Y., where the case was prosecuted.
It was unclear whether Mr. Sinno had left or been removed from the program.
A law-enforcement official who asked not to be identified said Mr. Sinno, who was charged with second-degree murder, has a record of about a dozen arrests for crimes such as larceny and robbery. The last arrest was in 1987 on a charge of criminal possession of stolen property.
The police said the shooting took place just before 3 P.M. Friday, when Mr. Sinno and the victim reached the corner of 12th Street and First Avenue.
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The suspect took a step back, pulled a .9-millimeter pistol from his pocket and then fired four shots into Mr. Santos's head and neck, the police said.
He put the gun into one pocket and his hand in the other and began to walk casually away, Chief Rosenthal said. ''He didn't run and he didn't hide,'' he said.
Mr. Sinno was seized by the two officers, and the gun was recovered.
