San Sebastiano al Vesuvio: 19-Year-Old Killed for Stepping on Shoe. 17-Year-Old Arrested and Charged with Murder.

Santo Romano, 19, was killed in a square in San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, a town near Naples, in a shooting that arose from a fight between teenagers, in which another young man was injured. The absurdity of the story revolves around a seemingly banal motivation: the fight was supposedly caused by a trampled foot. and from a dirty shoe.

The young man, with no criminal record and goalkeeper of the Micri team, had the dream of becoming a footballer and played in the Eccellenza championship. An emotional message was published on his team's social profile: "A piece of news that shakes you and overwhelms you, as if we had been catapulted into a nightmare". Santo's death has in fact shocked the local community, who now questions the growing violence among young people.

The alleged murderer, a 17-year-old boy, he was immediately stopped and questioned by the Carabinieri, who charged him with murder and attempted murder. The images from the video surveillance cameras in the area, acquired by the authorities, could play a crucial role in reconstructing the exact moments of the attack and the shooting. According to initial reconstructions, Santo may not have been directly involved in the argument that led to the gunshots: he had intervened to calm things down and try to stop the situation. It even seems that he had offered to personally clean the dirty shoe of the boy with whom the argument had started, in an attempt to prevent the situation from degenerating.

The episode occurred in a central area of ​​the town, a meeting point for young people from the Vesuvian area, one of the most frequented areas of the Neapolitan hinterland.

Giuseppe Panico, mayor of San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, commented on the tragic event by stating that similar episodes could occur anywhere. However, he reiterated that a more incisive intervention is necessary, especially in areas where the presence of young people is concentrated. The prefect has called a meeting to discuss security and public order measures, scheduled for tomorrow at the Town Hall. During this meeting, an attempt will be made to understand whether the site of the murder and other nearby areas require greater vigilance by the police.
The tragedy of Santo Romano is part of a context of violence that has repeatedly affected the youth of Naples.

Santo's murder, unfortunately, is only the latest in a series of similar events: just a few days ago, fifteen-year-old Emanuele Tufano was gunned down on the central Corso Umberto in Naples while he was on a scooter. Earlier this year, Francesco Pio Maimone, another young Neapolitan, was killed in Mergellina in a fight that also started over an accidentally soiled shoe. In August, another young man, the musician Giovanbattista Cutolo, was shot to death in Piazza Municipio. These episodes of violence have deeply shaken the city, where the increase in armed clashes between young people seems to highlight the need for greater control and prevention initiatives aimed at discouraging the use of weapons by the very young.

Don Mimmo Battaglia, Archbishop of Naples, he commented with great suffering on this latest case of blood, launching an appeal to the community and local authorities: “Naples must be disarmed. Our territories must be disarmed. We must lay down our weapons. It hurts. There is an impressive sadness in all this, but we must not resign ourselves. Violence will not win”. The archbishop's message underlines the urgency of finding a solution to a problem that has now characterized the streets of the city, where the use of weapons has become a concrete danger for young people.

The local community is deeply shaken, and there is growing concern about safety in the squares and meeting places for young people. Institutions are trying to respond, but the impression of many is that long-term interventions are needed to address a culture of violence that seems to be spreading more and more.