Two gunshots in broad daylight, a man wounded in the legs and a manhunt in the streets of Venice. It happened on Saturday 24 October, shortly after 6pm, near the Arsenale, in the Castello district, still crowded with residents and tourists.
The victim is a 35-year-old Albanian citizen, hit by two bullets, one in the leg and the other in the ankle. Transported to the Civil hospital, he underwent surgery. His condition is not considered serious and his life is not in danger.
For the shooting, the police arrested a 40-year-old compatriot, suspected of having fired the shots. The man was found a few hours after the attack and taken to the barracks for checks. According to the local newspaper La Nuova Venezia, the military managed to locate him within about three hours.
The shooting took place between Campo della Tana and the foundations of the Arsenale, a short distance from the entrance to the Navy. According to an initial reconstruction, the thirty-five-year-old was chased by another man before being hit by the shots. The two, both Albanian nationals, knew each other.
The attack took place before the eyes of numerous passers-by. Some initially mistook the shots for firecrackers, others fled, seeking shelter in the businesses in the area. In Nuova Venezia, the owner of Osteria alla Tana said he found himself in front of people who were visibly shaken and scared. At the La Caneva wine shop, however, a group of French tourists asked to be allowed in for safety.
The alarm triggered immediate intervention by the police. A police patrol was nearby when the shots were fired. Police officers and 118 health workers also arrived on site, who rescued the injured man and transferred him to hospital.
The investigations are coordinated by the Carabinieri of the lagoon operational unit, supported by colleagues from the investigative and vessel departments. The first indications provided by the victim, who remained conscious and able to speak to the investigators, together with the testimonies and images from the video surveillance cameras, would have been decisive in identifying the suspect.
According to what was reported by ANSA, two bullets were recovered at the site of the shooting, elements that could contribute to the reconstruction of the dynamics and ballistic tests on the weapon used.
It remains unclear why the 35-year-old was targeted. Among the hypotheses considered by the investigators is that of a settling of accounts, but insufficient elements have emerged to establish whether debts, personal issues or conflicts linked to illicit activities were at the origin of the attack. It also needs to be ascertained whether the shooter intended to kill or injure the victim as a form of intimidation.
At the moment, the charges against the forty-year-old nor any further judicial measures have been officially communicated. Investigations continue to clarify responsibilities and reconstruct the circumstances of a shooting that sowed panic in one of the busiest areas of the historic center of Venice.
