An ex-Gambino associate on trial for three murders nearly got whacked for boldly blasting away a rival drug dealer without telling his crew first, a mob turncoat testified yesterday.
John Burke had a blessing from Gambino soldier Anthony “Fat Andy” Ruggiano in 1982 to kill drug dealer Daniel Zahn with a shotgun in retaliation for Zahn shooting Burke in the head and neck, Ruggiano’s son Anthony Jr. testified in Brooklyn federal court yesterday.
But Burke then circumvented a plan to carry out an organized hit on Zahn, instead allegedly blowing away Zahn with a shotgun.
“I was very, very annoyed with him that he killed Danny,” Anthony Jr. said yesterday.
“[Burke] said, ‘I’m sorry, I had to get the guy.’ ”