Castellammare – The silence of the old town was shattered by the roar of bullets, followed by the escape and a manhunt that lasted just a few hours. The day ended with Francesco Assante, a 44-year-old already known to law enforcement and owner of the "Mister Gelo" convenience store in Piazzetta Quartuccio, arrested and accused of opening fire in the street.
Wild West in Via De Turris
The alarm was raised in the afternoon, when a report to 112 indicated gunshots were fired on Via De Turris. Upon arriving on the scene, Carabinieri officers from the Castellammare di Stabia Company found initial confirmation: a smoking shell casing on the ground and a bullet hole in the body of a parked car. A stray bullet that, by sheer luck, missed hitting any pedestrians in a typically busy area.
The arsenal between the counters and the box
The rapid investigation, conducted with patrols and technical surveys, closed the loop on Assante. The search of his business, the well-known frozen food store in Piazzetta Quartuccio, was successful: officers found two unexploded bullets inside the store.
But the crucial evidence came from the man's garage. There, the Carabinieri discovered the murder weapon: a 9x19 caliber pistol with a serial number stamped on it, a clandestine and lethal weapon that had likely been used shortly before in the shooting downtown.
Yellow on the motive
The motive for the act remains shrouded in mystery. Investigators are delving into the 44-year-old's life to determine whether the shooting was intended to intimidate or the culmination of an argument. Assante has been taken to prison, where he remains at the disposal of judicial authorities pending preliminary hearing. The seized weapon will undergo ballistic tests to determine whether it was used in other recent incidents of violence in the Castellammare di Stabia area.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
I read the article and am concerned about the safety of the center. However, the reporting doesn't explain the riots well, and I need more information about the investigation. The investigation is digging into the facts, but there seems to be little evidence; witnesses have not spoken or have been ignored. Clarity is needed, but also more control on the streets.