How Did Dean O'Bannion Die? The Handshake in the Flower Shop
Mobsters DailyDean O'Bannion was shot dead on November 10, 1924, inside his Schofield flower shop in Chicago, when one gunman crushed his right hand in a handshake so he could not reach his gun while two others opened fire. He was 32, arranging flowers for a gangster's funeral.
The handshake that disarmed him
The killers were John Scalise, Albert Anselmi and Mike Genna, working for Johnny Torrio and Al Capone. O'Bannion was famous for carrying guns and for his quick draw. The handshake solved that problem: held fast, smiling, he took bullets in the chest, throat and face at point-blank range and died among his chrysanthemums.
Chicago in Prohibition was a city run by men who settled scores in public. With the holidays coming, that old-school boss energy is exactly why the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater lands with mob fans — a black-and-white Tony stencil, gabagool attitude and all, made for Christmas photos and Sopranos marathons.
Why Torrio and Capone wanted him gone
O'Bannion ran the North Side Gang, hijacked rival beer trucks, and had double-crossed Torrio in a brewery deal that sent Torrio toward prison. His world was the same Prohibition empire later reshaped nationally — compare Lucky Luciano and the modern Mafia and Capone's fall at Alcatraz. Torrio survived an O'Bannion-ordered attempt in January 1925, retired to Italy, and left Chicago to Capone.
The war his death started
O'Bannion's funeral drew thousands and mountains of flowers. His successors, Hymie Weiss, Bugs Moran and others, then waged a five-year beer war against Capone that culminated in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929. In that sense one handshake in a flower shop filled two cemeteries and defined an era.
Frequently asked questions
Who killed Dean O'Bannion? Scalise, Anselmi and Genna carried out the hit for Torrio and Capone; no one was convicted.
Where was O'Bannion killed? In Schofield's flower shop at 738 North State Street, Chicago, across from Holy Name Cathedral.
When did Dean O'Bannion die? On November 10, 1924, aged 32.
Keep reading: The Castellammarese War Explained · Meyer Lansky: The Mob's Accountant · Why the Mafia Fell · Who Was Hymie Weiss? The Only Man Capone Feared
From the shop: Shadows of the Underworld — the real-mafia history behind the bosses, hits and betrayals in this story.
Join the conversation
Still thinking about this one? That is exactly what The Social Club is for. It is the MobstersDaily Discord, and it is the best Sopranos community on the internet: serious Sopranos talk, meme wars, Friday movie nights, a casino, and an arcade, all run by fans who never stopped rewatching. If you want to be part of the Sopranos community, this is where it lives.
