Naples – He shot a sixteen-year-old in the legs in the heart of Naples, just meters from the Prefecture, on the afternoon of April 1st. He then disappeared, taking refuge in the homes of trusted people, fearing retaliation. After several days of investigation, members of the Flying Squad tracked him down and arrested him.
Renato Elia, 19, a surname known in the Pallonetto di Santa Lucia criminal circles, was arrested. The young man was arrested pursuant to a warrant issued by the Naples District Anti-Mafia Directorate, signed by Deputy Prosecutors Celeste Carrano and Urbano Mozzillo. The charges include assault and illegal possession of a weapon in a public place, aggravated by mafia methods.
The investigations of the Flying Squad
Investigators from the Flying Squad, led by director Mario Grassia, reached him within a few days. The images from the video surveillance cameras in the area between Piazza Carolina and Via Chiaia were crucial. Through the footage, officers identified the alleged attacker and reconstructed his movements.
Subsequently, thanks to traditional investigative activities and wiretaps, the police discovered the young man's hiding place. When they broke into the apartment, they encountered no resistance: Elia was arrested and transferred to prison. The young man is the nephew of the mafia boss Michele Elia, who is currently in prison for the murder of Giovanni Iacovelli in 2004.
The fight and the armed return
According to the victim's story, heard immediately after being rescued and operated on on her legs, everything began with a trivial discussion between boys belonging to difficult backgrounds and rival groups.
"What are you looking at?", "What do you want from me?": this was the exchange that fueled the tension in front of at least a dozen young people present in the square.
But the argument didn't end there. According to investigators' reconstruction, the nineteen-year-old returned shortly afterward on a scooter, driven by a yet-to-be-identified accomplice. Both men had their faces covered.
Once he spotted the sixteen-year-old, Elia allegedly struck him in the head with the butt of his gun and then fired three shots, hitting him in the legs. The victim apparently had no time to react.
Investigators are now working to identify the person driving the scooter and verify any cover-ups in the escape.
The prefect: "The state responded quickly."
After the arrest, the prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, also intervened, expressing "his deep appreciation to the judiciary and the police for the important result achieved so quickly."
The prefect also emphasized that the area between Piazza Carolina and Via Chiaia is under constant police surveillance, with extraordinary services and enhanced video surveillance systems to ensure greater safety for citizens.
Precedents: Piazza Carolina has already been the scene of "stese"
The April 1st incident is not an isolated one. The area between Piazza del Plebiscito, Chiaia, and the Spanish Quarters has repeatedly been the scene of armed raids by groups of young people linked to rival neighborhoods.
On the evening of December 12th, again in Piazza Carolina, a shooting took place: scooters with armed youths who fired wildly along the shopping street before fleeing towards the Spanish Quarter.
For that night of urban warfare, the District Anti-Mafia Directorate issued seven arrest warrants: five were carried out, while two suspects—an adult and a minor—managed to disappear.
The investigations reconstructed eleven minutes of armed clashes between groups from the Spanish Quarters and the Pallonetto di Santa Lucia, with gunshots exchanging blows.
At the heart of the dispute, according to investigators, is control of the border area between the two neighborhoods and old, unresolved grudges, in a war increasingly fought by young men barely out of their teens.
In short
Naples – He shot a sixteen-year-old in the legs in the heart of Naples, a few meters from the Prefecture, on the afternoon of April 1st.
- Then he disappeared, taking refuge in the homes of trusted people because he feared retaliation.
- After several days of investigation, the men of the Flying Squad tracked him down and arrested him.
- Renato Elia, 19, a surname known in the criminal circles of Pallonetto di Santa Lucia, ended up in handcuffs.
Key questions
What is the main point of the news?
Naples – He shot a sixteen-year-old in the legs in the heart of Naples, a few meters from the Prefecture, on the afternoon of April 1st.
Why is this news relevant?
Then he disappeared, taking refuge in the homes of trusted people because he feared retaliation.
Which detail helps us understand the case better?
After several days of investigation, the men of the Flying Squad tracked him down and arrested him.
Heavy news, but it seems that young people in certain neighborhoods are arming themselves and coming out like this for trivial reasons. Video surveillance has helped the police, but it seems to me that the measures are not enough, and ordinary people remain worried and confused, especially in the evening when the shops close and the streets remain empty.