Twelve minutes of lead in the heart of the city, a few steps from the Prefecture and Piazza del Plebiscito, in the heart of the nightlife and in the symbolic area of the "good living room" of Naples.
It was the night between December 11th and 12th when, between Piazza Carolina, Via Chiaia, and the entrance to the Spanish Quarter, a series of gunshots took place. According to investigators, this wasn't a prank, but a settling of scores among very young people for control of a portion of territory: benches, meeting places, micro-spaces of power that became frontiers.
Less than a month after that night, a turning point came: four arrests, three minors and one adult. The operation was the result of investigations by the Flying Squad, coordinated by the Naples Prosecutor's Office and the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office.
And that's not all: investigators believe the involvement of two other young people is "probable," and further evidence and identification could emerge.
The dynamics: the assault in the square and the "return" shots
According to the investigative reconstruction, the group was incriminated by the images from the video surveillance circuit: a long sequence of frames that would have allowed the members of the new paranza to be identified.
It was around 1.30 am on December 12th when four youths from the Spanish Quarters arrived in the direction of Piazza del Plebiscito and targeted the area of the benches in Piazza Carolina, a disputed location and "garrison".
There, according to the documents, the first ambush took place: the four opened fire on two other minors. There were no injuries, but investigators believe the danger level was extremely high, and the charges weren't limited to the firing of shots in the air: one of those arrested was charged with attempted murder, a sign that the trajectory and dynamics were clearly interpreted as aimed at harm.
The tension doesn't end in the square. On the way back, through the alleys and entrances to the Spanish Quarter, more shots are fired: a "rollout" that moves the fire into the denser fabric of the city center, increasing the risk for anyone passing by. In those tense minutes, one of the targets of the shots even attempted a run-up, an instinctive reaction that paints a picture of a close-quarters conflict waged between groups of armed youths.
“Attractive Benches” and Opposing Groups
The context, according to investigators, is a territorial competition among young people linked to two areas: the Spanish Quarter and Pallonetto di Santa Lucia, historically conflicted neighborhoods. The point of friction appears to be the area of the benches in Piazza Carolina: not just a meeting place, but a symbolic outpost in an area where nightlife generates flows, contacts, consumption, and—in the background—small-scale trafficking.
The motive, at this stage, is not entirely clear: there is talk of territorial disputes, likely linked to micro-management and illegal activities, involving drugs and alcohol in an area "deep-rooted and dynamic" in Neapolitan nightlife.
The documents also cite a precedent revolving around the Spanish Quarters: one of the individuals included in the investigation was allegedly involved, in September, in a serious incident that culminated in the murder of innocent footballer Umberto Catanzaro, who was in the car with the real target of the ambush, born out of a vendetta of honor for the distribution of a sex tape on social media.
The three arrested minors were included in the order issued by Prosecutor Ugo Miraglia del Giudice, coordinated by Juvenile Prosecutor Patrizia Imperato. The adult is being handled by Prosecutor Celeste Carrano with Deputy Prosecutor Sergio Amato. They are charged, on various counts, with charges including possession/use of weapons, "squatting," and attempted murder (the latter attributed, according to reports, to three of the four arrested). The adult is also being charged with mafia involvement, an aggravating circumstance that further raises the judicial level of the investigation.
Regarding pre-trial detention, the three minors were taken to the Colli Aminei First Reception Center, while the adult is being held in the Secondigliano prison. The validation hearing is scheduled for shortly, with questioning scheduled for the next few days and the defense strategies pending.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The article describes a serious incident that shows how violence among very young people can escalate into very dangerous situations. It's important to consider what leads to this type of behavior and how we can intervene.