Salvatore Calvaruso, a 19-year-old from Palermo’s Zen district, has been arrested for the Monreale massacre. He is accused of opening fire in a crowded square in Monreale, killing three young men and injuring two others. Charges include mass murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
The hunt for his accomplices is still ongoing: investigations suggest that at least four other young men, also from Zen and Borgo Nuovo neighborhoods, were with him that night. Prosecutors in Palermo are working to identify and bring them to justice.
Calvaruso, identified through surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts, and evidence found at the scene, initially tried to mislead investigators by reporting the scooter used that night as stolen. However, his story quickly fell apart under the weight of the evidence. After an initial confession, he later chose to remain silent during questioning.
The tragedy reportedly began over a trivial reprimand. Some young locals from Monreale allegedly scolded the newcomers from Palermo for dangerously speeding through the center on scooters. This led to a violent altercation with insults, shoving, bottles thrown, and blows with helmets — before escalating to gunfire.
Amateur footage shared online captured the brutal scene. Salvatore Calvaruso pulled out a pistol and fired about twenty shots at chest height into a street full of people. The bullets killed Salvatore Turdo (23), Andrea Miceli (26), and Massimo Pirozzo (26), and injured two bystanders, including a 16-year-old who was shot in the head but miraculously survived.
Prosecutors noted that the massacre could have claimed even more lives: between 50 and 100 people were reportedly present at the time, and only by chance was an even greater tragedy averted.
The case against Calvaruso is strong. In addition to his initial confession, evidence includes CCTV footage, eyewitness testimonies, and a physical clue: a pair of glasses found at the scene identical to those he was seen wearing in a photo from social media.
A friend of Calvaruso told investigators that he lent him the scooter and was later asked to falsely report it stolen. Calvaruso reportedly admitted to this friend that he had "made a mess," confessing to the shooting and the killings.
Initially defended by lawyer Giovanni Castronovo, Calvaruso is now seeking a new attorney after Castronovo withdrew for professional reasons. In the coming days, a judge will review the charges against him.
The grief of the victims’ families is overwhelming. Giacomo Miceli, father of Andrea Miceli, spoke emotionally outside the mortuary at Palermo’s Civico Hospital. “My life ended yesterday,” he said. “Justice must be served, or I will take it myself.”
He recounted his son's bravery — Andrea first ensured his girlfriend’s safety by locking her in a car before rushing to help his cousin Salvatore. “They were killed while trying to help each other. That’s how our boys were raised,” he added.
He also issued a heartfelt plea to the families of the attackers: “Convince your sons and their accomplices to turn themselves in. You robbed me of a son and a nephew. I’ll never see their smiles again — partly because you failed to raise them right.”
Outside the pub where the massacre occurred, a banner now hangs in memory of the victims: "You can’t extinguish the sun by shooting at it," signed by the "Ultras Pioppo" fan group, in honor of Andrea Miceli, who played as a striker for Real Pioppo.
The investigation remains active. Carabinieri are searching for the other assailants, and the firearm used in the attack has not yet been found. The prosecution has ordered autopsies on the three victims to fully clarify the circumstances of the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the 16-year-old boy shot in the head, who was standing near the pub during the shooting, is now out of danger. "I'm alive by a miracle," he said from his hospital bed. Like the victims’ families, he too demands justice.
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