Naples – Three nights of fire, three consecutive raids, the dull sound of bullets shattering the sleep of the Spanish Quarter. Crime is once again a concern in the heart of Naples. Around 2:50 a.m. last night, the sound of gunfire returned to Piazzetta Trinità degli Spagnoli, the scene of the third "stesa" in just 72 hours. The scenario is now dramatically identical: the roar of a scooter, the passenger pointing his gun upward and emptying the magazine before speeding off into the maze of alleyways.
The shadow of the feud between the new recruits
Officers from the Police Headquarters' General Prevention Office responded immediately to the scene, alerted by terrified phone calls from residents. The officers found and seized ten 7,65 caliber shell casings lodged in the wall of a building and scattered across the asphalt. Fortunately, once again, no injuries were reported.
The investigation, coordinated by the Flying Squad and the Montecalvario police station, delves into the undergrowth of the youth Camorra. The first lead points directly to an open feud over control of drug dealing hubs and illicit activities. On one side, the Perchich gang—already in the news for the tragic death of innocent soccer player Umberto Catanzaro—and on the other, the remnants of the Elia clan from Pallonetto di Santa Lucia.
The mystery of the criminal map: internal conflict?
However, investigators from the Compagnia Napoli Centro are not ruling out a second, more likely possibility. The circumstances surrounding the second shooting, which occurred at 1:00 AM on Via Laura Mancini Oliva (preceded 24 hours earlier by the one on Via San Carlo alle Mortelle), suggest tensions within the groups in the upper part of the Neighborhoods, near Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
On Via Mancini Oliva, the Carabinieri had already recovered six 7,65-caliber shell casings, while the previous night a 9mm had been used. A constant back-and-forth is making the area the hottest and most unstable in the entire city. The investigation could be aided by video surveillance cameras in the area, which may have captured license plates or the silhouettes of the gunmen, breaking the silence of residents who were kept awake by the stifling heat but kept quiet for fear of retaliation.
The Prefect's reaction: "Safety at risk."
The echoes of the gunfire reached the upper floors of the Government Palace. The Prefect of Naples, Michele di Bari, harshly addressed the escalation: "This is extremely serious behavior that endangers the safety of citizens. For this reason, specific prevention and territorial control measures have already been adopted in recent weeks." The Interior Ministry's plan is clear: a coordinated, high-impact action by all police forces to militarize the exposed areas and reaffirm the state's presence. But in the alleys of the neighborhoods, meanwhile, life continues with bated breath.
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I don't know what to say, the situation is very worrying but it doesn't seem to me that action is being taken clearly. The video cameras could have made a difference, but they are few and people remain silent out of fear, while the institutions intervene very slowly and often without concrete results.