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'Murder charge' over fan's death | 'Murder charge' over fan's death |
(20 minutes later) | |
An Italian policeman who shot dead a Lazio fan last weekend is set to be charged with murder, his lawyer says. | An Italian policeman who shot dead a Lazio fan last weekend is set to be charged with murder, his lawyer says. |
Police had said Sunday's shooting of Gabriele Sandri, 26, by the officer was a "tragic accident". | Police had said Sunday's shooting of Gabriele Sandri, 26, by the officer was a "tragic accident". |
There had been expectations he could face a manslaughter case but the policeman's lawyer said on Thursday a murder charge was being prepared. | |
Mr Sandri's death sparked widespread fan riots across Italy which left 40 policemen injured. | |
Mr Sandri, a disc jockey, was hit by a bullet in the neck in the Tuscan city of Arezzo as he sat in a car while police tried to stop fighting between Lazio and Juventus followers. | |
'Unforgivable act' | |
The policeman, named in the Italian media as Luigi Spaccarotella, has said his gun went off as he ran to stop a brawl between rival supporters. | |
He told the newspaper Corriere della Sera earlier this week that he fired his pistol by accident more than 200m (660ft) away from Mr Sandri. | |
His lawyer Francesco Molino vowed to robustly defend any criminal charges. | |
But chief prosecutor of the Arezzo jurisdiction Ennio Di Cicco was quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sporto as saying: "This traffic policeman fired the shot at the height of a human being, that is a certified fact. | |
"We don't know the motives but whatever they are it's an unforgivable act." | |
The latest development came a day after hundreds of people, including rival fans, attended the funeral of Mr Sandri in Rome. | |
In April, the government introduced a law designed to stamp out football hooliganism following the death of a policeman in rioting at a match in Sicily in February. |
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