A 26-year-old man from Mali was shot and killed by the authorities at Verona’s Porta Nuova train station early on Sunday morning after attacking a police officer with a knife.
The attack has reignited an ongoing debate about rising migrant crime in the Italian city with one local lawmaker calling a recent spate of incidents the “order of the day.”
According to Corriere del Veneto, the man had caused significant disturbances throughout the night, including breaking a station window and assaulting local police officers. After being chased off temporarily, he returned to the station around 7 a.m., where he attacked a transport police officer.
In self-defense, the officer fired three shots, one of which struck the assailant in the chest. Despite immediate attempts to resuscitate the man, he succumbed to his injuries on the scene.
Authorities are now investigating the incident, analyzing surveillance footage to fully reconstruct the events leading to the shooting.
The incident sparked a wave of reactions from both local and national politics, including Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who posted on X, “With all due respect, we won’t miss him. Thanks to the police for doing their duty.”
His comments were met with criticism from opposition lawmakers, with Democratic Party Senator Franco Mirabelli condemning Salvini’s response as “a shame on our country.”
Local officials, including Verona’s mayor Damiano Tommasi and councilor Stefania Zivelonghi, expressed regret over the loss of life but emphasized their solidarity with the police.
“The regret for the loss of a human life is combined with great solidarity with the Railway Police and the Local Police involved in the attack,” the mayor told local press.
The incident at Porta Nuova station is the latest in a series of violent crimes in the area. Just days earlier, officers had been attacked by another man armed with a stone and an iron bar. The increasing frequency of such incidents has raised alarm among residents and officials.
MP Alberto Stefani of Liga Veneta announced plans for a protest, stating: “It is yet another episode of crime at Porta Nuova station, where an armed foreigner goes berserk and attacks the police, with a tragic epilogue. Violence, robberies, and muggings are the order of the day in the Verona station area.”
Verona Domani, a local political group, is calling for more resources to tackle the rising crime problem. Matteo Gasparato, president of the group, urged the mayor to implement an extraordinary recruitment drive for local police.
“We ask for maximum support and maximum solidarity for those who do their duty,” he said, stressing the importance of speeding up the expulsion process for foreign criminals.
