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SPRINGFIELD - Until he stepped out of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society social club Sunday night, Adolfo M. "Al" Bruno had been one lucky mobster.

He dodged two point-blank pistol shots a decade ago.

He ducked long prison sentences when juries twice cleared him of staging a botched Mafia hit at his brother's barn.

And he escaped a major racketeering crackdown two years ago, even as lesser-known mobsters were sent to prison.

As flamboyant as he was fortunate, Bruno spent the past two decades living like a high-rolling mob celebrity. Two nights ago, on the eve of his 58th birthday, Bruno died like one - shot five times as he left the Mount Carmel club after playing cards with his friends.

One, Joe Signorelli, said he left 30 minutes earlier, passing by Bruno's table on the way out.

"The last thing he said was: 'I'll see you tomorrow,'" said Signorelli, 65, of Springfield.

The first killing of a Mafia boss here in decades, Bruno's death signaled a possible power play for control over the local franchise of the New York City-based Genovese crime family. A longtime rival of Bruno's, Anthony J. Delevo of Westfield, was sentenced to three years in federal prison yesterday for running a loansharking and racketeering ring.

With Bruno and Delevo gone, several law enforcement officials expressed concerns about a power vacuum in Western Massachusetts.

Local police refused to comment on whether they believe the slaying was related to a mob power struggle or a personal grudge, but one former investigator said the killing bore the trademarks of a mob-sanctioned execution.

"It sounds pretty typical of a mob hit," said Anthony Pesare, a former Rhode Island state police investigator.

Pesare, dean of criminal justice at Roger Williams University, said Bruno's routine of playing cards at the same place on Sunday evenings made him an easy target.

"A pattern had been established and that was something someone could easily count on."

Delevo, 63, was tapped by the Genovese hierarchy to succeed local mob leader Francesco J. "Skyball" Scibelli, who died in 2000, investigators say. Bruno was ruled out, partly out of concern for his high profile.

If other mobsters shunned the spotlight, Bruno seemed to relish the role as an organized crime star, a Tony Soprano who owned a bakery instead of a strip club. Whether playing racquetball with then-District Attorney Matthew J. Ryan Jr., passing out Christmas presents each year to poor children, or partying at his son Victor's downtown restaurants, Adolfo Bruno was the public face of the Mafia in Greater Springfield.

"He was a charismatic guy, a real character," said Lt. Timothy P. Alben, who heads the state police's local organized crime unit. "I don't think you'll be seeing anyone like him again."

An avid golfer, Bruno was a fixture at local charity golf tournaments, rubbing elbows with politicians, top corporate executives and law enforcement officials. A longtime member of the YMCA, he also donated to dozens of charities.

YMCA member Neal R. Lamberton of Springfield said Bruno was a friendly regular at the club.

"Whenever I saw him, I'd say, 'You better do your dips, Bruno.' He'd rather be called Bruno than Al," said Lamberton.

The execution is likely to enshrine Bruno in Springfield's gangland lore along with the likes of Carlo Sinischalchi, who was gunned down in his limousine in 1921, and Joseph Fiore, who was riddled with bullets while sitting in a barber's chair on Columbus Avenue a decade later. Both crimes were never solved.

Born Nov. 24, 1945, in Bracigliano, Italy, Bruno was identified by law enforcement authorities as a made member of the Genovese crime family. In the 1990s, state police assigned to the Organized Crime Unit began calling Bruno "PC," shorthand for "piece of the city" and an indication that Bruno shared in the profits of a vast array of legitimate and illegal businesses.

Bruno emigrated here at age 10, and shined shoes in the city's South End, then a predominantly Italian enclave, as well as delivered newspapers and worked in the family's pizza shop.

He worked at Carando's Meats for nine years, becoming sales manager, then became an independent food distributor for three years until fire consumed his offices in Agawam. He then entered the restaurant business, affiliating himself with his brother, Frank, who owned the former Casa di Lisa in Agawam and pizzerias bearing the family name.

Organized crime investigators long believed that Bruno held silent interests in other restaurants and nightclubs, though his name never appeared on corporate documents. Bruno is listed as an owner of B&D Bakery on Main Street, located a block from the Mount Carmel social club.

His son Victor owns Caffeine's and Art e Pasta on Worthington Street.

Al Bruno's criminal record includes convictions on federal gambling charges in 1981 and 1984; during the 1984 sentencing, his lawyer described Bruno as "an inveterate gambler."

Bruno drew as much attention for playing racquetball with the district attorney as for his own criminal exploits. The pair frequently played at the YMCA, with Ryan insisting he could compete against Bruno one day and prosecute him the next.

That day never came, however.

Bruno was indicted in state court, but only after Ryan left office; District Attorney William M. Bennett brought charges in 1991 against Bruno and John J. "Jake" Nettis for a failed mob execution at his brother Frank's farm in Agawam nearly a decade earlier. Bruno was acquitted on an attempted murder charge, and later cleared on a conspiracy count.

The first trial featured several high-ranking mob informants, including John "Sonny" Castagna of Hartford, who testified that Bruno lost his nerve when it came time to pull the trigger.

For his part, Ryan decided against seeking re-election in 1990, after his ties to Bruno were made public.

Less than a year after he was cleared in the barn shooting, Bruno was embroiled in another bizarre encounter.

Bruno, according to law enforcement sources, intended to collect repayments on a $25,000 loan that barber Vito Riccardi of Springfield had made to another man. Bruno told the borrower to pay him rather than Riccardi. The next day Bruno and Riccardi tangled at the Mount Carmel club, with the barber reportedly firing two shots at Bruno at close range.

Both missed, and no charges were ever filed.

On Sunday night, sources said Bruno played cards until about 9:15, then walked outside accompanied by another man. Moments later, a second man called out Bruno's name and sprayed him with bullets. Bruno fell, still clutching his ever-present cigar.

Police are searching for a white man with a hooded sweat shirt seen running from the crime.

Neither Springfield police nor local FBI bureau chief Michael G. O'Reilly would comment on possible suspects or motives. The slaying came two weeks after the disappearance of Gary D. Westerman, a 49-year-old Springfield man with a long criminal record, triggering fears of an underworld killing.

Outside the club yesterday, the only sign of a struggle was a window pierced by a bullet hole. Small groups of men gathered across the street outside the LaFiorentina bakery.

"It's a shame," said one man, who refused to give his name. "The whole thing is a shame."