A 17-year-old Egyptian migrant has been arrested for fatally stabbing 25-year-old Gabriele Vaccaro with a screwdriver in a parking lot in Pavia, Italy. The argument was reportedly over a girl, with the Egyptian suspect already having a criminal record for illegal possession of a weapon.
The incident, which occurred on April 19, began with a dispute in a bar over a girl, with the Egyptian later targeting Vaccaro, originally from Sicily, in a nearby parking lot.
The events occurred at 4:00 a.m. when the suspect stabbed the victim in the abdomen with what investigators believe was a screwdriver.
The injury was considered to be “deceptive,” as it did not shed excessive amounts of blood but appeared instead as a deep puncture wound. As a result, it may have concealed the severity of the internal damage.
The stabbing attack occurred in front of a crowd of people, with Vaccaro present with three Italian friends. However, the Egyptian was not alone either, and was with a group of foreigners, according to Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera.
After the stabbing, the friends of Vaccaro brought their friend home, who was said to be in “agony” from the stomach wound. They eventually called emergency services. Despite the man being rushed to the hospital, he died in the operating room.
Surveillance footage has been secured, and multiple people have been questioned about the attack at the San Matteo hospital police station.
Following the man’s death, images began flowing in on social media from friends and family, including travel photos, photos of him hugging his twin sister, and pictures of him at football stadiums.
Vaccaro, who was an avid football player, was honored by teammates at a match.
🇮🇹 Shocking video from Italy shows a 28-year-old Moroccan stabbing pedestrians, injuring two people in Bologna.
The Moroccan was confronted by one hero, who came after the shirtless suspect with a half-broken crutch.
As can be seen in the video, the Moroccan knocks the hero to… pic.twitter.com/cWfvpSz0UU
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) May 5, 2025“Your smile will live forever,” read the banner displayed during the match against Gela.
“We honored him today,” coach Pietro Infantino said. The victory of his team, CastrumFavara, was also dedicated to Gabriele.
The municipality of the province of Agrigento will observe citizen mourning on the day of the funeral, as announced by Mayor Antonio Palumbo, describing on social networks a “pain so great that it is unimaginable.”
He said that this pain does not only belong only to the Vaccaro family, but “to every street and every house in our city. The pain leaves us empty, helpless. Faced with violence that finds no justification. It’s not just a life that is interrupted, it’s a young man whose light is stolen. It is our community that is losing a piece of its future.”
Italy has seen many similar cases, including a case from last year, involving a young Italian man who was murdered in a brutal knife attack after a fight broke out between two groups of young people outside a club. The battle, between Italian-Romanians versus North Africans, took place in the quiet town of Castelfranco Veneto, a province of Treviso.
The young victim, 20-year-old Lorenzo Cristea, who was born in Romania, lost his life after arriving in the hospital despite attempts by medical staff to revive him. He came to the hospital on his own, but the stab wounds were too deep to save his life.
