Lazio Fan Accidentally Killed By Police
Rome burns.
This comes after news that a Lazio fan was killed. Details of the incident are still hazy but according to reports, this happened when police officers intervened a roadside argument that got ugly. There were two cars involved in the incident, one carrying Juventus fans and the other Lazio.
In an attempt to disperse the fans, an officer allegedly misfired a warning shot and shot a Lazio fan, Gabriele Sandri, in the back of the neck, possibly causing him to die instantly.
What makes things worse is that it is even suggested that Sandri was seated in the car and was not in any way involved in the roadside brawl. In response, fans in Rome are rioting by setting police cars and vans on fire. The situation is urgent.
This is a sad day for Italian football, which is still recovering from last season’s tragedy, in which a police officer was killed while attempting to quell fighting between fans of Catania and Palermo.
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They will probably try to blame the United fans for this one too, because we were drunk, in England.
This tragedy occurred outside of Arezzo, a town in Tuscany, at a road stop. The Juventus supporters were from Naples, and traveling to Parma. Initially, neither of the two groups were identified solely as football fans by the police.
Gabriele Sandri was a well-known disc jockey in Rome, and a friend of one of the younger Lazio players, Lorenzo Di Silvestri. In fact, Sandri sent him a message a few hours before this happened.
Kenny:
Here is a new development from La Gazzetta dello Sport. A witness has given a statement in Rome as the authorities continue their investigation.
“Ha sparato impugnando la pistola con entrambe le mani e le braccia erano tese. Non mi sembra sparasse in aria, anzi…”
“He fired gripping the pistol with both hands and his arms were tense. It didn’t seem to me to be fired into the air, on the contrary…”
Source:
http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Primo_Piano/2007/11_Novembre/12/procura.shtml
I can’t believe it. Somebody gets shot, and everybody goes crazy, including the Italian FA who are considering postponing football indefinitely… just beacuse the man shot happened to be going to a football match.
Kenny - He’s being charged with manslaughter, with “the possibility” that he could eventually be charged with something worse. The appearance (keeping in mind that I have no idea what really happened at that gas station) is that the Italian police are revising their decision to protect him, and are instead going to sacrifice him in order to placate the mob. As someone wrote today, they’re throwing him under the bus. But there are so many political considerations at work in all these decisions that it will be nearly impossible to get at the truth.
Andy - they’re not just considering postponing football because the fan who was shot was on his way to a game. They’re considering postponing football (and already have postponed Serie B and Serie C, actually) because the incident has been used as a pretext for violence in and out of football stadiums by football fans. Atalanta fans tried to storm the pitch yesterday, and the police station that was attacked was outside the Stadio Olimpico.
There’s been a lot of good coverage of this at Pitch Invasion and Spangly Princess. Also a post at The Run of Play on why we’re so fascinated by football-related violence:
http://www.runofplay.com/2007/11/football-violence-in-italy-and.html
Notice: Before any of you elaborate in speculation, I invite you to check out a summary of this week-end’s events in the Italy blog over at TheOffside.com. In cases like these it’s better to get all the facts before making any judgement.
R.I.P. Gabriele Sandri.
Brian: Fair point, I guess it’s just the recent culture that we’ve gotten used to in Britain, where if a football fan is killed then mass riots don’t seem to happen, not to the scale of Rome’s ones anyway.
Andy - Absolutely. It’s almost crazy how sane British football has gotten…
Italian clubs are big.. But the fans sucks.. Remember the ROMA vs UNITED!!..
How do you accidentaly kill someone with a warning shot? Try answering that and tell me how far you get.
It is insane. Next time Man Utd goes there and there is a fan brawl (which is inevitable following the humiliation of last season), make sure to blame the travelling supporters. I am not saying that the death is in any way realted to football, what I am saying is that what happened last winter/spring and what followed that tragic incident in stadiums around Italy was too much.
In my opinion the only way to stop the fans is to suspend football for a couple of months during the winter period so that the teams do not suffer in the Champions League or UEFA Cup.
Also some action from UEFA would be nice. It might have some impact if they now issue a warning to Italian teams about suspending them from European compatitions if this comes up again. Also if they are to take some action, please do not give one of your fines which the players’ maids could afford. Do SOMETHING!!!
This has to stop. Football is no place/reason for such a thing to happen.
Can you imagine the reaction if Italy doesn’t win on Saturday?
Inter and Lazio have home games for Matchday 5 (Nov. 27 & 28) of the Champions League. Hopefully, the situation is under control by then. Otherwise, it would be a nightmare for the visiting teams and supporters. UEFA has to show some initiative, don’t you think?
‘Apparently’ (I have no idea on the reliability of this), the man who was shot was actually sleeping in his car at the time.
Again, ‘apparently’, the officer fired twice - a warning shot into the air, and then accidently fired again while running to the fans.
Now, a safety into the air is fine by me. Watch out for it coming back down, but its a fair enough response, but surely, SURELY, even Italian polica guidelines say you should flick the safety on while not using the gun.
You know, that little bit on the gun that stops it going off unexpectedly? That could have prevented all of this.
He’s now being charged with manslaughter.