Fredy Pacini (in picture) fired several times at the victim (Image credit: facebook/fredy.pacini1)
Italian police launched an investigation Wednesday into the death of an intruder who was shot after breaking into the premises of a man who had reportedly been robbed 38 times.
Fredy Pacini, who owns a tyre shop in Monte San Savino in Tuscany, was accused of excessive use of force in self-defence after gunning down a 29-year old Moldovan.
Pacini had taken to sleeping in his shop after a series of thefts, and was woken by noise in the early hours of Wednesday.
He fired several times at the victim, who was with a second man who managed to escape, police said.
"Being a robber is a dangerous job. Am I wrong??? Self-defence is always legitimate!" Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, head of the far-right League, said on Facebook.
"My solidarity lies with the Tuscan shopkeeper who was robbed 38 times," he said.
His comment sparked a political backlash in Italy, with opponents on the left accusing him of inciting violence. But a hashtag supporting the businessman, #iostoconFredy (#I'mwithFredy), went viral on social networking sites.
oOFrostByteOo on November 29th, 2018 at 18:39 UTC »
Lol 38 times??? Could you even imagine the 15th time you were robbed how fed up you'd be and this guy goes all the way to 38.
gittenlucky on November 29th, 2018 at 15:21 UTC »
“Gunned down”. What a biased term. If the police were doing their job, this guy wouldn’t have been robbed 38 times.
BlueFlameWizard on November 29th, 2018 at 14:58 UTC »
Arresting people for self-defense is common in Europe.