Naples, the Contini family's shadow lies behind Mauro's murder: "He was acting independently."

A desperate escape on foot, lasting just seconds, was brutally ended before the terrified eyes of passersby and motorists. It was 22:30 PM when the death sentence for 48-year-old Antonio Mauro, originally from the Tribunali area, was carried out between Via Pontenuovo and Via Cesare Rosaroll.

The man was walking alone when he noticed a scooter approaching dangerously from the corner of his eye. Sensing danger, Mauro took a chance and ran toward his home, which was nearby. The two hitmen chased him and caught him, firing a barrage of bullets at him. At least six 7,65 caliber shells remained on the ground. A direct shot to the chest killed him instantly, sparking panic in the street, with people forced to take cover behind parked cars.

Hunting for killers in videos

Officers from the Naples Police Headquarters' Flying Squad , along with the General Prevention Office and the forensic team, immediately rushed to the scene to conduct initial investigations. Currently, the key to identifying the killers may lie in footage from public and private security cameras in the area, which investigators are analyzing frame by frame. While the videos help reconstruct the dynamics, identifying the group and their instigators remains elusive.

The victim's profile and the extortion hypothesis

The DDA's investigation is focusing on the victim's complex profile to pinpoint the motive. Mauro was Nunzio De Luca's son-in-law and the brother of Gennaro De Luca, known as 'o muntato, considered by investigators to be a prominent member of the Contini clan. Although Mauro had previously been arrested for extortion along with Mazzarella associates, the hottest lead of the last few hours leads directly to the Contini clan.

The theory is that of an internal purge: the man began operating completely independently in the collection of protection money, becoming "inconvenient" to the clan's leaders. However, other avenues remain open, such as revenge for old offenses or the rekindling of the feud between Naples' most powerful cartels. For Mauro, who had already escaped an initial ambush in 2007 in which he was injured, there was no escape this time.