Giuseppe Di Dio was only 16 years old, he studied at the hotel institute in Troina and, when he could, he willingly lent a hand in the family agricultural and livestock business. He was a good, cheerful and carefree boy who, like all young people, at his age enthusiastically cultivated his passions and cradled his dreams.
On Saturday evening, as he used to do, he met with friends in front of a bar in Via Roma, right in the center of Capizzi, to spend a few hours of lightheartedness. His only “fault” was being in the wrong place at the wrong time, killed by a bullet fired by a 20-year-old local man, Giacomo Frasconà. According to initial reconstructions, the young man, already known to the police, arrived on site shortly after 10pm in a car together with his father and brother, and as soon as he got out of the vehicle he started firing some gunshots.
One of these hit Giuseppe Di Dio in the neck, mortally wounding him. Unfortunately, the desperate efforts of the doctors from the nearby emergency medical service were of no avail. Carried on the shoulders of some friends, the 16-year-old died inside the clinic just as the doctors tried everything to stem the copious bleeding. In the meantime, panic had immediately broken out in the town, with a general stampede by hundreds of people, including many very young people and even several children, who were walking or standing in front of the bars. A 22-year-old was hit by a ricocheting bullet in the leg and was transferred by ambulance to Nicosia hospital. Fortunately his condition does not cause concern. From the nearby barracks of the local Carabinieri station, less than one hundred meters away from the crime scene, the soldiers arrived on site as did their colleagues from the Mistretta Company. Having collected the testimonies of those who witnessed the dramatic scene, and inspected the images of the video surveillance systems, during the night the suspect was arrested against the three relatives, all from Capizzi, who were reached in the family home, where it seems they were having dinner.
Giacomo Frasconà is accused of murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of a clandestine firearm, personal injury and receiving stolen goods, while his 48-year-old father Antonio and his 18-year-old brother Mario say they accompanied him to the crime scene. Late yesterday morning, the three were transferred to prison in Enna, at the disposal of the local prosecutor’s office which coordinates the investigations, entrusted to the deputy prosecutor Salvatore Interlandi.
The gun used in the shooting was recovered and seized, the serial number of which was abraded. The investigations are continuing at full speed to try to reconstruct the dynamics and, above all, the motive of the crazy raid of which Giuseppe Di Dio was an accidental victim. In fact, according to the hypotheses being examined by the investigators, he was not the target of the ambush, while during the course of the day there was also evidence of a dispute which could have broken out shortly before and which would subsequently have resulted in the tragic epilogue. It would appear that the 20-year-old attempted to shoot, pointing the gun at another young man, but failed because the weapon stuck.
The school
The Ettore Majorana Institute of Troina (Enna) “in mourning”: «We gather with deep sorrow around the family for the premature death of our dear student, Giuseppe Di Dio. We will always remember his smile. The whole school community participates in your mourning. Rest in peace, Giuseppe”, writes the hotel institute in its social profiles after the killing of sixteen-year-old Giuseppe Di Dio yesterday, in Capizzi (Messina). Painful return to school today for teachers and students. «In such a dramatic moment – he adds – the entire school community expresses condolences, closeness and solidarity with his family, friends and all those who loved him. The loss of a young life creates an unbridgeable void. May the memory of Giuseppe, his kindness and his smile, remain alive in the hearts of all of us.”