Naples – The trail of violence continues. Le Case Nuove, the epicenter of a Camorra feud that has terrorized the neighborhood for weeks with "stese" (a series of street attacks) and attacks, once again trembles to the sound of gunshots.
It was just after 1:10 AM on the night between Friday and Saturday. On Via Michelangelo Ciccone, one of the area's busiest streets, an 18-year-old boy was near a club. That's when the attack took place.
According to an initial, summary reconstruction provided by the Carabinieri of the Stella Company, an unknown person approached the young man and, for reasons still to be deciphered, opened fire.
The 18-year-old, a resident of the neighborhood with no criminal record, collapsed to the ground. The bullets struck him in the legs, in an act that bore all the hallmarks of a "knee-jerk"—a warning in pure Camorra style.
Rescued and rushed to Pellegrini Hospital, the young man received treatment. Paramedics discovered two gunshot wounds, both to the calves, with bullets entering and exiting. Fortunately, his condition is not serious: he remains hospitalized for observation, but his life is not in danger.
The Carabinieri of the Napoli Stella operational unit intervened on the scene, and are now investigating to reconstruct the exact dynamics and, above all, the motive for the ambush.
The question hanging over the entire affair is a weighty one. Why target an 18-year-old with no criminal record? Investigators aren't ruling out any possibility, but the territorial context is unmistakable.
In an area where clans fight for control of the territory, the shooting of a "clean" youth can take on multiple, sinister meanings: a cross-message sent to someone else, a punishment for an "insulting act," or an attempt to blatantly mark territory.
The episode confirms the extremely high alarm in the neighborhood, hostage to a criminal escalation that seems to know no respite.
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Comments (1)
The situation in this neighborhood is truly worrying. I don't understand why an 18-year-old boy should suffer such a violent attack. Let's hope the police can do something to stop this spiral of violence.