Today was a sad day in Rome. Two policemen were shot and one critically wounded as they stood in front of the Prime Minister’s office this morning. But more on that in a minute.
It started off as a slow Sunday for me. After weeks of struggling to form a new government, finally 47-year-old Enrico Letta succeeded and the swearing-in ceremony for the new government Ministers was being held at the Presidential Palace, the Quirinal, in the center of Rome. Several of my colleagues were covering that ceremony and then the official handover ceremony afterwards at the Prime Minister’s office, Palazzo Chigi, in which the outgoing Prime Minister Mario Monti was to give the symbolic “bell” to the new Prime Minister. Only photographers and camera-persons were allowed into the handover ceremony so AP Television sent one of our regular freelance cameramen Fanuel Morelli. Fortunately for us, Fanuel is a smoker. But more on that in a minute.
Since February’s national election, with a stunning turnout for the upstart “Five-Star Movement” of Italian comic Beppe Grillo, and a surprising successful comeback of Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italy has been living in a political limbo with no one able to form a government. Until a few days ago it looked like Italy might have to hold another national election. Political uncertainty is dangerous for a country hanging on the edge of economic disaster with unemployment at 12-percent (youth employment at least double that) and the country’s debt 130-percent of GDP. If Italy goes down economically, it would be disastrous for the rest of Europe. Italians are fed up with the politicians and scared about their future.
(For an interesting perspective on this, check out the recent “Letters from Italy” on the BBC featuring the comments of my husband, Gustavo Piga.)
Then finally this week a political solution was reached. A coalition government led by center-left Democratic Party member Enrico Letta. I was pleased because this new government has the first African-Italian Minister, Cecile Kyenge, Minister of Integration, and Gold-Medal winning Canoeist Josefa Idem, a Mamma, as Minister of Sport and Equal Opportunity. But I was not covering the swearing-in ceremony. I had a ticket with my mother-in-law and daughter for a guided tour of the “Titian” exhibit at the “Scuderie del Quirinale Museum” — the “Scuderie” are the former horse stables for the Qurinale palace which once housed Popes and then Kings.
“Titian” is fabulous, but I was disappointed with our guide who seemed to be delivering a tedious university lecture rather than an intriguing, informative description of the works and the artists. Half-way through the tour my phone, which I had thought I had put on silent, began to ring. I saw it was my colleague Paolo Santalucia and figured he wanted to talk about Monday’s schedule so I hung up on him figuring I would call him later, but he called right back telling me there had been a shooting at the Prime Minister’s office and I needed to join the cameraman Fanuel there. I dropped everything and ran. Ran past all the Titian’s, pushing past museum visitors, who looked at me angrily, ran out the exit forgeting my coat, and took off down the Via delle Dateria at a full sprint. I could see other journalists running down the stairs from the Quirinal Palace. It was a race. I ran so hard my throat hurt. When I reached Palazzo Chigi they were bringing in ambulances to take away the wounded and I was pushed back by the policeman in the photo above.
Our cameraman Fanuel later explained it like this. Since the swearing-in ceremony was taking a while, and the Ministers were not yet headed for the Prime Minister’s office, he slipped outside with a few other cameramen and photographers to have a cigarette. As he was smoking, he heard a gunshot a few meters away. He said, “we didn’t think it was gunfire, then I turned around and I saw this man wearing a tie, and he was pointing this gun in this direction toward the policeman and he fired five or 6 more shots.”
Below is a freeze frame of what Fanuel filmed. It is Carabinieri Brigadier Giuseppe Giangrande, 50-years-old, shot at short range in the neck.
Moments later police had the shooter pinned to the ground. A few hours later Italy’s new Deputy Prime Minister Angelino Alfano explained to us in a press conference that this gunman wanted to kill himself after he had shot at the others, but he was out of bullets. Alfano said, “this tragic criminal gesture this morning was carried out by a 49-year-old unemployed man who immediately showed that he wanted to kill himself.” Alfano went on to say that they were pretty sure it was an “isolated gesture”
Over the course of the day more details came out about the shooter. He is Luigi Preiti, an unemployed bricklayer from Calabria, a poor region in the toe of Italy’s boot. He recently has left his wife. Later the prosecutor told reporters that Preiti had confessed that he had gone to Palazzo Chigi to shoot politicians, but when he was blocked by police, he shot at them.
After a long, exhausting day at work, I went to pick up my daughter who had joined a friend at a 7pm Mass. I slipped into the packed San Bellarmino Church at 7:30pm as the priest was already mid-homily. The theme was “perdono” – Forgiveness. It brought to mind an excellent post I read the other day by Reverend Nancy Rockwell following the bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon. It was about Evildoers and forgiving. Here’s the link to: A Bite in the Apple on Evildoers
Details have also emerged about the injured. The bullet entered the neck of Giuseppe Giangrande brushed past his spinal cord and remained lodged inside. It was removed at the hospital. He is now in intensive care and doctors are struggling to save his life. On an heart-breaking personal note, Giangrande lost his wife a few months ago. Their only child, a 23-year-old daughter, is now in Rome with him. Italian reports say Sunday morning Giuseppe Giangrande posted on his facebook page “”Buona domenica a tutti. Oggi grande giornata di sole” – Translated, “Good Sunday to Everyone. Today is a beautiful Sunny Day.” It turned out also to be a sad, sunny Sunday. My heart goes out Giuseppe Giangrande and his daughter.
What a sad day indeed. I’m not condoning what he did by any means, but you have to wonder about the desperation of the gunman and the situation of Italy’s economy. Will there be more of these incidents if people are unable to find work and if Italy’s politicians aren’t able to find agreement on how to fix the country’s ills? My heart goes out to Mr. Giangrande and his family, who have already suffered enough with the death of his wife. It is even more poignant after reading of his facebook post. I pray that he survives and will be ok. By the way, did you go back and get your coat?
Hi Linda — fortunately, my mother-in-law and daughter remembered my coat. I think everyone in Italy has been truly shaken up by this situation and I think politicians have realized it is time to move fast to do something to boost the economy and help the middle and lower-class Italians. Let’s hope the new government of Enrico Letta succeeds.
What a heart-rending story – I ache for Italy, and especially for this good man, a good Dad, a grieving widower, working at his job and getting shot for no reason at all. I dearly hope he will have no lasting damage from the bullet, it would be so awful if he were disabled by it. But it does make a real picture of the suffering so many Italians are undergoing. An ugly picture next to Titian, but a real one. Sorry your lovely day out was spoiled so. Bravo to you, for racing there – and thanks for the mention in your blog. As they work to trace the roots of the bombers here, it seems that one big one was their poverty. There are others of course, but that one is undeniable.
Thank you Nancy. It is a sad story. Interestingly, poverty seems to have played a key role here too.
Do we have to have senseless violence as the link between our two cities?? What a complete report you provide from the scene of the killing. Our hearts and prayers go out to Giangrande and his daughter. No wonder you didn’t have time or emotional reservior to talk on the phone.
We are encouraged that Italy finally has a government, It’s getting pretty positive response here,
Keep yourself out of the line of fire. Risk doesn’t seem to be confined to developing countries.
L/D
Thank you Dad! I interviewed a political analyst today and I told him that the Italian stock market was on the rise and a Italian government bond sale had gone surprisingly well this morning. I asked him if this was an indication of confidence in Italy’s new unity government. He laughed and replied, “no, it is because Italy finally has a government!”
He is right. Italy has been in an absurd political limbo since February and it had made the financial markets shaky and Italians have lost their patience. We also interviewed a lot of people on the street today and were amazed at although all were completely supportive and sympathetic towards Carabiniere Giuseppe Giangrande, many of them expressed understanding towards the plight of the unemployed bricklayer from Calabria who committed such a violent act. No one excused his violence, but they said they understood his exasperation.
Well it is hard to click “like” on this post as it is so sad. What became of the other police officer?
It is very sad, the other police officer was hit in the legs and is going to be ok. Giuseppe Giangrande is still in serious condition. People are really rallying around him and his daughter.
. . a tragedy that is multiplied a thousand times every day in Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, Mali and for our neighbours in Syria – each and every one of these perpetrated by NATO and its allies of which Italy is an integral part. What has this to do with your post? Everything and nothing – what is happening across Africa and the Middle East and in Europe is a war against the people, the plundering of the commonwealth by the powerful and sometimes people become so desperate that they strike out at the symbols of the powerful because they feel so powerless.
Alan — thank you for your comment. Your feelings are shared by many. I would be happy to allow anyone who has a story of these tragedies going on in Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, Mali etc, carried out by NATO and their allies, publish that story on my blog. I have always believed the more information that gets out about these things the better.
How awfully sad for the policeman and his family, and what a strange twist of fate that you should be right on the spot. It strikes me as tragic that otherwise normal people could resort to such violence, a sign of the times who knows. Amid all the chaos, adrenalin and confusion the image from the Titian exhibit is almost shocking in its beauty and simplicity. take care xxx
That’s true Lisa, I didn’t really think about that picture when I stuck it in, the poster of the Titian Painting is truly striking in its beauty compared to everything else. Thank you for pointing it out.