Rome, woman wounded in the arm near the Vatican: probably hit with a compressed air weapon

“I screamed in pain and realized I was bleeding.” It is the story on social media of Cristina Stillitano, the woman who was wounded in the arm by a shot probably fired with a compressed air weapon near the Vatican in Rome. The police have started investigations to trace the shooter

"Yesterday, shortly after 3pm, I felt a strong blow on my arm, on my triceps, while I was walking in Via della Giuliana, in the Prati district of Rome. At first I thought I had been hit by some passerby but there was no one near me and the street was semi-deserted. Shortly afterwards I realized that I had been shot with some type of weapon, probably compressed air, and from a certain distance. My shirt was pierced and a clear hole could also be seen in my flesh. and precise, of about 5 millimetres”. Thus begins the story of Cristina Stillitano, the woman wounded in the arm in Via della Giuliana, not far from the Vatican, by a shot probably fired with a pellet gun. The Carabinieri of the Prati station are on the case.

Woman: “The bullet is still deep in my arm”

According to what has been reconstructed, the 50-year-old was walking along the sidewalk when she felt a sudden pain in her shoulder and noticed a bloodstain. She was slightly injured and went to hospital on her own. "At the emergency room of the Santo Spirito - continues the woman, who also spread photos of the blood stain on her arm on social media - the doctors have ascertained that this bullet, probably made of lead or other radiopaque material, is still deep in my arm. Soon I will therefore be transferred to the CTO since specialist surgery is indicated to remove it".

Gunshots in the center of Rome, woman injured in the Vatican area

The police have started investigations to trace the shooter

But this type of episode is nothing new in the neighborhood. "Businessmen in Via della Giuliana have told me that for several days there have been shots of 'rubbers' in the street, especially against passing women or tourists, luckily never hit so far. One of these 'rubbers' - concludes Stillitano, who is a journalist and writer - was also collected and preserved. If it were confirmed, it seems to me that this situation is of strong and current danger for passers-by in the street and the residents of the neighbourhood". Meanwhile, the police have started investigations to trace the shooter. Investigators are currently listening to residents and shopkeepers in order to acquire useful information to shed light on the matter. There would be no cameras at that point.