Italy Court Shooting: Attack Leaves Four Dead, One Arrested
An Italy court shooting has left four dead in Milan on Thursday. After opening fire during his own trial, Claudio Giardiello allegedly shot and killed three people, including the judge.
The fourth person dead was discovered to not have any bullet wounds and may have had a heart attack during the shooting.
Giardiello had been on trial for the collapse of a business in which he’d held the majority share. During cross-examination, a fight had allegedly broken out and he pulled out a gun, shooting his lawyer and co-defendant, Lorenzo Alberto Claris Appiani and Giorgio Erba, respectively. Another co-defendant and relative of Giardiello, Davide Limongelli, was reportedly injured in the attack, according to the Guardian.
Man on trial for bankruptcy opens fire in Milan court, killing two, police say: http://t.co/X74JzcP5yl pic.twitter.com/zHmFk33XRM
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 9, 2015
After the initial shots were fired, Giardiello allegedly fled the courtroom and found judge Fernando Ciampi, shooting and killing him as well. Ciampi worked in the civil section of the bankruptcy court and may have had a connection with the case which ended in gunfire.
No connection has yet been made between Giardiello and the judge he killed. It is unclear how he managed to smuggle the gun into the courtroom.
After the Italy court shooting, staff were barricaded inside the building as police scoured the premises for Giardiello. He allegedly managed to escape after about an hour and fled the building on a motorbike.
Lawyer Marcello Ilia told the press about the lockdown, says BBC News.
“All of a sudden we heard at least three or four shots.
“We tried to find out what was going on. There were suddenly lots of police officers who told us not to leave the room, they shut us in.
“After a few minutes we came out. They told us someone in a suit and tie was armed and at large in the court.”
Italy court shooting suspect Claudio Giardiello was found 16 miles from Milan in Vimercate and has been arrested, as confirmed by Italy’s interior minister, Angelino Alfano, on Twitter.
[Image via Milano Today]
