Capone’s Brother Tried to Take Cicero — Then Police Filled Him With Bullets

Al Capone became the legend. But before Chicago fully belonged to him, his older brother Frank Capone walked into Cicero with guns, muscle, and political power behind him — and never walked out alive. In 1924, Chicago was getting too hot for Johnny Torrio and the Capone organization. Mayor William Dever was cracking down on vice, gambling, brothels, and speakeasies inside the city. So the mob moved its base west to Cicero, Illinois — a suburb where corrupt politicians, illegal liquor, gambling houses, and police protection could turn a small town into an underworld fortress. But Cicero was not secure yet. On April 1, 1924, the town held a municipal election. The Capone-backed political machine wanted to keep control. Reform candidates and Democratic challengers wanted to break that control. What followed was not a normal election. It was ballots and bullets. Capone gunmen flooded the streets. Campaign offices were attacked. Opponents were beaten. Voters were intimidated. Ballot boxes became targets. And leading the muscle for the Capone side was Frank Capone — Al’s older brother, a quieter but ruthless figure who helped represent the gang’s interests in Cicero. Then Chicago police were sent in. Near Cicero Avenue and 22nd Street, officers encountered Frank Capone, Charles Fischetti, and other gang members. Gunfire erupted. Witness accounts later disagreed over who fired first, but the result was clear. Frank Capone was hit again and again by police bullets. By the end of the shootout, Al Capone’s brother was dead in the street. Cicero was won. But the Capone family paid for it in blood. What you will learn in this documentary: How Frank Capone became part of the Torrio-Capone organization Why Al Capone and Johnny Torrio moved their power base from Chicago to Cicero How Prohibition turned Cicero into a perfect mob-controlled suburb Why the 1924 Cicero election became one of the most violent political battles in American crime history How Capone gunmen used intimidation, beatings, kidnappings, and weapons to control the vote Why Frank Capone became one of the key men enforcing the mob’s political will What happened when Chicago police entered Cicero to restore order Why the shootout near Cicero Avenue and 22nd Street became Frank Capone’s final moment How Al Capone reacted to his brother’s death Why Frank’s funeral became a public display of mob power How the death of Frank Capone helped push Al deeper into the role of Chicago’s most feared gangster Key figures: Frank Capone, Al Capone, Johnny Torrio, Ralph Capone, Charles Fischetti, Joseph Z. Klenha, William Dever, William K. Pflaum, Rudolph Hurt, Edmund K. Jarecki, Chicago police officers, Cicero political figures, South Side Gang members, Torrio-Capone organization soldiers, Prohibition-era bootleggers Timeline: 1895 birth of Salvatore “Frank” Capone in Brooklyn, early 1900s the Capone family grows up in New York, 1910s Frank and Al move through street-gang circles connected to Johnny Torrio, 1919 to 1920 Prohibition begins and Chicago becomes a gold mine for bootleggers, early 1920s Torrio and Capone expand into gambling, liquor, and vice, 1923 Chicago Mayor William Dever begins cracking down on mob activity, 1923 to 1924 the Capone organization shifts major operations into Cicero, March 31 1924 campaign offices are attacked on the eve of the election, April 1 1924 Cicero’s election turns violent, April 1 1924 Frank Capone is shot dead by police near Cicero Avenue and 22nd Street, April 4 1924 Frank receives a massive mob funeral, mid-1920s Al Capone’s power grows even larger across Cicero and Chicago. Verified sources used in research: Chicago Tribune historical reporting on the 1924 Cicero election HistoryHit reporting on Frank Capone and the Cicero shootout Allan May, The Brothers Capone Robert J. Schoenberg, Mr. Capone Carl Sifakis, The Mafia Encyclopedia FBI and organized crime history records connected to Al Capone and the Chicago Outfit Historical records on the 1924 Cicero municipal election Newspaper archives on Frank Capone’s funeral and the Capone organization’s Cicero takeover Chicago organized crime histories connected to Johnny Torrio, Al Capone, and Prohibition-era Cicero Subscribe for a new Mafia documentary every Friday. Drop a comment with the next real-life mob story you want us to investigate. #FrankCapone #AlCapone #CiceroElection #ChicagoOutfit #ChicagoMafia #JohnnyTorrio #Prohibition #CaponeFamily #CiceroIllinois #MobPolitics #Bootlegging #MafiaDocumentary #MobDocumentary #OrganizedCrime #TrueCrime #AmericanMafia #MafiaHistory #CrimeDocumentary #GangsterHistory #MafiaTalks