An Italian man, who fatally shot a Peruvian man in the chest with a home-made bow and arrow for making too much noise in the street, has been charged with racially-aggravated murder.
Police said the incident occurred in the historic centre of Genoa, on Tuesday night when the victim, Alfredo Javier Romero Miranda, was having a drunken argument with a co-national.
The accused, Evaristo Scalo, allegedly leaned out of his window and shot Miranda who was arguing with his acquaintance in the street below.
The Peruvians had previously told Scalo to shut up when he asked them to keep the noise down.
Miranda, the father of two who had been celebrating the birth of his second child with fellow South Americans, died while undergoing an operation to remove the arrow.
Racial Abuse
Witnesses said Scalo shouted racial abuse before raising his bow. Police revealed that the arrow was the type usually used to hunt boars. Scalo’s arrow reportedly struck Miranda, 41, in the liver.
Video footage taken at the scene showed Scalo trying to help the Peruvian before the ambulance arrived.
Police found about 60 home-made arrows at the 63-year-old Italian’s house.
Giovanni Toti, Genoa Mayor, tweeted that Javier Alfredo Romero Miranda was killed by an arrow shot by a madman. “I deeply regret the senseless death of Javier Alfredo Romero Miranda, killed by an arrow fired from a house in the historic center,” he said. “Our doctors did everything they could to save his young life, but there was nothing they could do. I hope that the magistrates apply the maximum rigor to whoever did this because there is no nightlife, noise or any other situation that could justify such a reaction.”
Toti believes its reckless to link, in any way, a murderous gesture with the fun of young people, even with all their problems.
