Italian prosecutors investigate homeowner who fatally shot intruder at Piedmont farmhouse

The shooting in Baldissero d'Alba

In the early hours of 20 September 2026, around 02:30, 35-year-old truck driver Roberto Mollo awoke to noises at his farmhouse in Baldissero d'Alba, near Cuneo. Mollo was staying overnight in the unfinished building to guard building supplies, including tiles, cement, and scaffolding, following recent damage to the perimeter fence. After returning around 01:30 from a gathering in Gallo d'Alba, Mollo heard intruders attempting to force entry and saw four to five individuals moving through the courtyard. Armed with a 9mm Beretta semiautomatic pistol registered for sport shooting, Mollo went out onto the first-floor balcony and discharged 13 rounds from a 15-round magazine toward the group from a distance of about 30 meters. One intruder, 36-year-old Gjovalin Lazri, an Albanian national living in Turin with a prior criminal record, was struck in the neck and shoulder and died near the courtyard exit while his accomplices escaped on foot.

Investigation and legal proceedings

The Public Prosecutor's Office in Asti, headed by Chief Prosecutor Biagio Mazzeo, opened an investigation into Mollo for voluntary homicide and the attempted murder of the surviving intruders. Carabinieri units from Bra and Cuneo secured the property, recovering shell casings and preparing ballistic examinations to verify whether the intruders were fired upon while fleeing. Investigators also noted that Mollo was legally licensed to keep the firearm at the residence he shares with his mother and brother nearby, rather than at the renovation site. Mazzeo explained that judicial authorities would evaluate the psychological pressure of the moment while assessing the fatal outcome:

“It is plausible that he acted out of fear. And the Prosecutor's Office in these cases tries to apply more lenient criteria for interpreting the rules, but one must always keep in mind that a human life was cut short.”

Defense lawyer Pier Mario Morra maintained that Mollo acted without homicidal intent, stating that his client fired into the darkness in panic and immediately alerted emergency responders.

Reactions from the shooter and the victim's family

Neighbours and relatives who arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting encountered Mollo in the courtyard in his pyjamas, visibly shaken and still holding the handgun. Giuseppe Mollo, the shooter's 31-year-old brother, stated that Roberto reacted to flashlight beams in the dark and expressed immediate remorse after realizing what occurred:

“I made a mistake, I shouldn't have shot. But I was panicking. And now my life is destroyed, I'm afraid of ending up in prison.”

In response to public discussion surrounding the incident, Roberta Sisimbro, the legal counsel representing Lazri's family, called for restraint and trust in formal judicial procedures:

“The family has no statements to release because they ask that their moment of grief be respected, and for my part I only recall that we live in a state of law, there is the constitutional charter and the law to be respected.”

Political debate and comparisons to the Roggero case

The incident prompted immediate comparisons to the case of Mario Roggero, a 72-year-old jeweller from nearby Grinzane Cavour who is serving a sentence of 14 years and nine months in Bollate prison after fatally shooting two fleeing robbers in 2021. Addressing the annual Lega gathering in Pontida on 21 September 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini expressed direct support for Mollo and renewed calls to expand statutory self-defense protections:

“From our beloved Piedmont comes news of a thief caught entering a house who was shot, and this thief died. Our embrace goes to those who were attacked and who defended themselves in their own home.”

Lega lawmakers referenced a Senate proposal drafted by Claudio Borghi that would grant immunity for any defensive reaction against home or workplace intruders, a measure that previously encountered resistance from coalition partner Forza Italia.