Naples, Piazza Carolina shooting: Johnny Percich turns himself in.

Naples – Jhonny Percich, registered as Vincenzo Giovanni Percich Lucci, 19, turned himself in overnight at Secondigliano prison in Naples. He is one of three adults under investigation for the shooting that occurred in the Chiaia area between December 11th and 12th, in the midst of the city's nightlife.

The young man was the subject of an arrest warrant issued as part of the investigation coordinated by the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office and the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office.

Investigators announced that as of January 10th, police had already issued arrest warrants against seven suspects: four minors and three adults. All are charged with attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms, aggravated by mafia-related activities.

One of the four minors remains unaccounted for. In addition to the three minors, two adults, Carlo Forte, a friend and associate of Percich, and his rival Mario Pugillo, have been in jail for three days.

The investigation, conducted by the Flying Squad, allowed the reconstructing of the incident, thanks in part to video surveillance footage. According to the findings, a group of youths from the Spanish Quarters opened fire on some peers belonging to a Pallonetto di Santa Lucia gang in Piazza Carolina, in the heart of Naples.

The shots, fired at chest height, were clearly intended to kill, according to investigators. The first volley was followed by an armed response from the other group, with shots fired as they fled to intimidate them.

The episode is part of a broader picture of conflicts between youth gangs linked to various neighborhoods surrounding the city center.

Yesterday, the judge confirmed the arrests of two adults and three minors, ordering the former to be held in pre-trial detention in prison and the latter to be held in a juvenile detention facility.

The investigation is being coordinated by the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate and the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office. Investigators from the Flying Squad, with the support of the San Ferdinando and Montecalvario police stations, are charged with various crimes of attempted murder, carrying and possession of a firearm in conspiracy, with the aggravating circumstance of mafia involvement.

The dynamics: two groups and the burst in the crowd

The investigative reconstruction speaks of a conflict between very young people linked to different areas of the historic center: on one side boys from the Spanish Quarters, on the other peers believed to be linked to the Pallonetto di Santa Lucia area.

In Piazza Carolina, during a time slot when the area was still busy, the first shots were fired at eye level, with an intent investigators described as clearly homicidal. The barrage was followed by an armed response from the rival group, with further gunfire also being fired in the ensuing phase.

According to the police, surveillance cameras allowed them to reconstruct the entire sequence and identify the young men considered "serious suspects." The incident is part of a series of tensions between youth criminal groups operating in different but neighboring neighborhoods, a phenomenon that has raised the alarm level in the city center in recent months.

The appeal announced: "There is no certainty in the images"

On the defense front, attorney Giuseppe De Gregorio announced an appeal to the Court of Review for one of the minors involved. According to the lawyer, the arrest was not validated by the investigating judge for juveniles, but the boy was still held in a juvenile detention facility pending further clarification.

The defense disputes the validity of the circumstantial evidence based on the video surveillance frames: the reconstruction, De Gregorio claims, is based on "verisimilitude" and not certainty.

The minor is specifically charged with complicity in the crimes of carrying and possessing a weapon. Meanwhile, the investigation continues to define individual roles and responsibilities and clarify the complete sequence of the shots, including those fired later toward the Spanish Quarter area and the incident, revealed in the reports, of shots fired at the home of an eighteen-year-old believed to be involved.

;