Part 7/9:
The Unraveling and Assassination Attempt
The culmination of Columbo's risky game of power would ultimately lead to his undoing. During the second Italian-American Unity Day rally in June 1971, he was shot in a brazen assassination attempt, which many suspect was orchestrated by his rivals, including the infamous Crazy Joe Gallo. Although he survived the initial attack, Columbo slipped into a vegetative state for the remaining eight years of his life—his grand aspirations now silenced.