Naples finds no peace. The Spanish Quarters, in particular, have become the epicenter of an urban feud that has the faces and recklessness of the very young, but the violence of organized crime.
The last few weeks have seen an alarming escalation: late-night shootings, "stese" (armed raids to spread terror), injuries, and attacks are now the order of the day.
It's the "kids' war," as it's called, a battle for control of the territory fought by emerging baby gangs, often with a few old bosses pulling the strings.
The latest draft: 12 shots in Vico Lungo San Matteo
The latest episode in this spiral of violence occurred around 1:00 a.m. in Vico Lungo San Matteo, a street that has become a crossroads of ongoing conflict. It's the fourth night of terror in a month in the same patch of alleys.
A commando, composed of at least two people on a scooter, opened fire on two adjacent buildings, at numbers 10 and 12. The dynamic was that of pure intimidation: no injuries, but a very clear message. Six shots struck the front door of one building, four struck a side door of the other, and two lodged in a nearby wall.
The emergency number was immediately raised by numerous terrified residents. Officers from the Police Headquarters' UPG unit, colleagues from the Montecalvario police station, and specialists from the Flying Squad rushed to the scene. On the ground, forensic scientists found twelve shell casings of the same caliber, indicating that the firing was from a single gun.
The context: the feud over the hot video and control of the area
But what's sparking this war? Investigators are pursuing two main leads, both of which can be traced back to the internal conflict between the youth groups competing for control of the area.
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The first hypothesis, the most heated, links the shooting to the sensational arrests of last Saturday. He was also arrested Salvatore Percich, known as "Sasy", a leading figure of the group of the same name, accused of attempted murder.
His "crime" was allegedly trying to kill a 17-year-old from Pallonetto Santa Lucia, guilty of distributing a sexually explicit video involving a relative of Percich himself. The 17-year-old, paradoxically, was considered a loyalist to the boss until a week before the failed attack.
The "stesa" of Vico Lungo San Matteo could therefore be a direct retaliation: an attack on the heart of the Percich stronghold (where "Sasy" also lives), perhaps by allies of the 17-year-old who escaped death.
The second, more "traditional" theory is that of territorial supremacy. Vico Lungo San Matteo is a strategic area where members of the Percich family reside, as well as those of the Masiello group (both considered to be linked to the historic Mazzarella alliance).
The "stesa" may have simply served to "flex their muscles," a warning issued by trigger-happy young criminals from nearby neighborhoods, determined to erode the power of local gangs.
An escalation without stopping
The investigation continues apace. The area is covered by video surveillance, and investigators are poring over hours of footage: the footage appears to show the perpetrators of the raid, their faces partially covered by sweatshirts, quickly fleeing in the direction of Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
What's worrying is the frequency. This isn't an isolated incident. Other shootings had already occurred on September 24th and 28th, again in Vico Lungo San Matteo. Signs of new and deep friction between the Spanish Quarter groups and their peers in Pallonetto-Santa Lucia were evident as early as mid-August. What seemed like a latent tension has now exploded into open conflict, holding an entire neighborhood in check.
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