You wouldn't think hitmen could miss from almost point-blank range, but two would-be assassins on a motorbike made a complete hash of it.
Their intended victims cheated death despite the gunmen unleashing a hail of bullets after their guns jammed in a terrifying ambush in the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria.
Shock footage of the attack was released by Italian police on its Facebook site after an investigation of almost two years eventually led to the arrest of the alleged shooters.
The suspects, named as Antonino Pricoco, 40 and Giole Mangiola, 29, were held despite a 'wall of silence' from the victims - businessmen Filippo Nocera and Francesco Barreca.
They both refused to cooperate with detectives and reveal any details of a possible motive which is believed to be a feud over an unpaid 3,000 euro debt.
Footage from CCTV installed on a next door building, shows the two hitmen approaching on a powerful motorbike, wearing helmets to conceal their identity.
As they pull up outside a shop, the pillion passenger can be seen drawing a pistol. One of the businessmen tries to initially knock away the gun while the other target dives back inside the shop for safety.
Both hitmen then start firing wildly into the building and down the road as one target falls over then runs off. A passing car is seen stopping, then reversing away from the scene at high speed, while innocent passers by dived for cover.
The incident lasted no more than 20 seconds before both hitmen roared off into the night leaving their intended victims shaken but unhurt after it emerged that both guns had eventually jammed.
The city is the heartland of the local mafia known as the 'ndrangheta. which is said by police to be one of the most lucrative and powerful organised crime networks in the world, making billions of pounds a year from drug trafficking, gun running and extortion
Police said the two men were tracked down after 'high tech investigations' involving intercepted telephone calls and bugging devices, during an exhaustive two-year inquiry following the attempted double murder in March 2012.
Police said the feud had begun after Nocera's brother, Giuseppe, had allegedly failed to pay both gunmen the 3,000 Euro outstanding balance for a motorbike.
An argument had led to a fight between them which 24 hours later evolved into an alleged attempted double murder.
Pricoco and Mangiola, who were arrested in dawn raids on their homes, are now in custody facing charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
A police spokesman said: 'This was a difficult investigation because of the wall of silence that we had from the intended targets and their associates.
'The arrests were only made after the result of a long and complicated investigation involving telephone intercepts and the motive was finally uncovered which led us to both men.
'The footage of the incident is shocking - it resembles something from a Playstation game - and both men were lucky to escape with their lives as the weapons both jammed at the time of the shooting.'
Their intended victims cheated death despite the gunmen unleashing a hail of bullets after their guns jammed in a terrifying ambush in the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria.
Shock footage of the attack was released by Italian police on its Facebook site after an investigation of almost two years eventually led to the arrest of the alleged shooters.
The suspects, named as Antonino Pricoco, 40 and Giole Mangiola, 29, were held despite a 'wall of silence' from the victims - businessmen Filippo Nocera and Francesco Barreca.
They both refused to cooperate with detectives and reveal any details of a possible motive which is believed to be a feud over an unpaid 3,000 euro debt.
Footage from CCTV installed on a next door building, shows the two hitmen approaching on a powerful motorbike, wearing helmets to conceal their identity.
As they pull up outside a shop, the pillion passenger can be seen drawing a pistol. One of the businessmen tries to initially knock away the gun while the other target dives back inside the shop for safety.
Both hitmen then start firing wildly into the building and down the road as one target falls over then runs off. A passing car is seen stopping, then reversing away from the scene at high speed, while innocent passers by dived for cover.
The incident lasted no more than 20 seconds before both hitmen roared off into the night leaving their intended victims shaken but unhurt after it emerged that both guns had eventually jammed.
The city is the heartland of the local mafia known as the 'ndrangheta. which is said by police to be one of the most lucrative and powerful organised crime networks in the world, making billions of pounds a year from drug trafficking, gun running and extortion
Police said the two men were tracked down after 'high tech investigations' involving intercepted telephone calls and bugging devices, during an exhaustive two-year inquiry following the attempted double murder in March 2012.
Police said the feud had begun after Nocera's brother, Giuseppe, had allegedly failed to pay both gunmen the 3,000 Euro outstanding balance for a motorbike.
An argument had led to a fight between them which 24 hours later evolved into an alleged attempted double murder.
Pricoco and Mangiola, who were arrested in dawn raids on their homes, are now in custody facing charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm.
A police spokesman said: 'This was a difficult investigation because of the wall of silence that we had from the intended targets and their associates.
'The arrests were only made after the result of a long and complicated investigation involving telephone intercepts and the motive was finally uncovered which led us to both men.
'The footage of the incident is shocking - it resembles something from a Playstation game - and both men were lucky to escape with their lives as the weapons both jammed at the time of the shooting.'
Source : DailyMail
Comments
Post a Comment