Shots Fired, Ambush, Arrests: What’s Happening in Rome’s Don Bosco District?
The Don Bosco district continues to be plagued by gunfire. This area of Tuscolano, overshadowed by its namesake church, has, over the years, become a battleground for brutal ambushes. Perhaps it’s a fight to conquer or defend territory, a struggle that has repeatedly filled Rome’s news pages with raids and arrests, dismantling criminal groups and redrawing power dynamics.
Gunshots are often fired to intimidate or even kill, as seen in the two most recent incidents. Bursts of bullets tear through cars, sometimes damaging them. The latest episode, taking place in Via Calpurnio Pisone, paints a picture of a Wild West-like quadrilateral.
The Ambush in Via Pisone
There, in Via Flavio Stilicone, Via Giuseppe Chiovenda, and Via Quinto Pedio, the streets have transformed into zones where ambushes have become a recurring nightmare. The latest, in chronological order, occurred on the night of December 11th.
The victim, a 19-year-old, was struck by two of the five bullets fired by a hooded man in a red jacket. Mobile Squad investigators are probing the case, focusing on the dynamics of drug dealing. It’s not ruled out that the young man, who has no criminal record, could be a collateral target, as happened previously with Mirko Giuliani, as we will see later. Scientific police investigators also arrived at the scene shortly after 2 AM on Thursday to conduct forensic examinations. Security camera footage from the area, particularly from a post office, is also being reviewed.
The November Shootings
This ambush comes three weeks after another incident between Via Quinto Pedio and Via Licinio Stolone, streets less than a kilometer from Via Calpurnio Pisone. There, shortly after 11:30 PM on November 23rd, a 28-year-old was found in a pool of blood. At least 8 shots were fired. In that case too, a burst of bullets, with projectiles embedding themselves in parked cars.
The young man was transported in serious condition to Casilino Polyclinic. The victim, already known to investigators for matters related to weapons and drug possession, claimed someone tried to rob him. However, his account did not fully convince the investigators, and the ambush on December 11th further supports the hypothesis of a gang war.
The Ambush Against Mirko Giuliani
Moreover, as mentioned, it’s not new for shots to be fired in Don Bosco. Two years ago, the district’s streets were again stained with blood, and here Mirko Giuliani reappears, brother-in-law of Daniele Salvatori, known as ‘Bove,’ as reconstructed in a Dossier article that revealed the background of a recent raid by the Carabinieri and the Rome Prosecutor’s Office. On May 27, 2023, Claudio Turcaloro, alias ‘Bibbi’ and former associate of ‘Bove,’ severely threatened Giuliani, telling him: “I’ll come and get you inside the clinic, I’ll send you to the hospital.” That same day, Giuliani was indeed attacked in Via Chiovenda.
At 9:46 PM, Giuliani called Salvatori, stating he had been hit, having received “three, four blows to the legs.” Turcaloro was identified as the perpetrator of the attempted murder. The ambush involved firing three gunshots at Giuliani. The bullets struck his left thigh, right leg, and right inguinal region, causing injuries to the inguinal ligament and a fracture of the pubic bone. The pistol used to shoot Giuliani was of a caliber consistent with weapons Salvatori had previously accused Turcaloro of stealing. Giuliani, in essence, was a collateral victim.
Shots Fired in Front of a Bar
Even earlier, a daytime armed assault targeted Mauro Gizzi and Maurizio Salvucci. On that occasion, two men on a scooter stopped in front of a bar in Via Flavio Stilicone, firing gunshots and injuring the two men who were outside the establishment at the time, having coffee, before fleeing on the two-wheeled vehicle.
Originally from Don Bosco, Gizzi and Salvucci had moved to Morena and the Castelli Romani area but continued to frequent the area where they became victims of the ambush.
The escalating violence in Don Bosco raises serious questions about the effectiveness of law enforcement and the underlying causes of this persistent criminality. Is it merely a fight for drug territory, or are there deeper, more entrenched criminal networks at play? The repeated nature of these incidents, often targeting individuals with known connections to the criminal underworld, suggests a systemic issue that goes beyond isolated acts of violence.
The community of Don Bosco lives in fear, caught in the crossfire of a conflict that seems to have no end. Residents are demanding answers and more effective measures to restore peace and security to their streets. The authorities, while conducting investigations and making arrests, appear to be struggling to contain a problem that continues to spiral out of control.
The cycle of violence, arrests, and new power struggles highlights the complex and dangerous nature of organized crime in urban areas. Until the root causes are addressed, and a more comprehensive strategy is implemented, the residents of Don Bosco may continue to face the grim reality of gunshots echoing through their neighborhood.
Source: https://www.romatoday.it/cronaca/spari-don-bosco-dove-chi-e-stato.html
