Torpignattara, Rome: man, 44, killed in street quarrel, attacker fled

The attack

On Friday, 13 November, a 44-year-old Moroccan man was wounded on a street in the Torpignattara district of Rome, between via di Torpignattara and via Francesco Baracca. Adnkronos and Il Messaggero place the incident at about 22:50, while Fanpage and a second Il Messaggero report put it shortly after 23:00. According to the reports, the fight broke out over trivial reasons, and the man collapsed in the street in front of his girlfriend. Emergency staff from the 118 service reached the scene and tried to resuscitate him, but he died on the pavement. Sources disagree on the weapon: Adnkronos reports scissors wounding his chest, Il Messaggero says a large pair of scissors to his throat, and Fanpage describes a knife to the neck.

Motive and suspect

The reports link the fight to a small sum of money. Il Messaggero refers to a debt of a few euros, while Fanpage says the row may have been over 20 euros and that the exact reason is still to be clarified. Il Messaggero says the suspect was an acquaintance of the victim, and Fanpage reports that the two had spent the evening drinking alcohol together until shortly before the attack. The attacker fled immediately afterwards, and police were reported to be tracking him. Fanpage says numerous witnesses saw the scene and could help identify him, and it adds that the identities of the victim and the attacker had not yet been released.

Police and emergency response

Investigators from the Squadra Mobile are leading the inquiry, according to Adnkronos and Il Messaggero. Fanpage reports that patrol cars of the Polizia di Stato and officers of the Polizia Locale di Roma Capitale reached the scene and secured the area. Il Messaggero says the stretch of road was closed so that investigators could carry out inspections. Residents who posted on neighbourhood groups, cited by Il Messaggero, said the alarm spread quickly after they heard screams and sirens, and that someone tried to revive the victim while he lay on the ground.

What remains unclear

Several details differ between the reports. Two outlets give the time as about 22:50, while others place it shortly after 23:00. The weapon is described in three different ways, and the motive is still described as unclear. At the time of these reports, neither the victim nor the suspect had been publicly identified by name, and the suspect remained at large. Further details will depend on what the investigation establishes.