(Adnkronos) – After almost four days in intensive care in very serious conditions, Shimpei Tominaga died last night, the 56-year-old Japanese entrepreneur from Udine, who intervened to break up a fight in the night between last Friday and Saturday and was struck in the face by a violent punch which made him fall disastrously to the ground by Samuele Battistella, 19 years old, from Mareno di Piave (Treviso). For the boy from Treviso, currently in precautionary custody in prison in Udine, the death of the Japanese entrepreneur means that the charge changes from very serious injuries to the much more serious one of manslaughter.
Also in prison with him are Abdallah Djouamaa, 20 years old, and Daniele Wedam, 19 years old, both from Conegliano, accused of aggravated brawling with two other Ukrainians involved in the affair: Oleksander Petrov, 31 years old, and Ivan Boclach, 29 years old, residents in Pescara but in Udine to work on a construction site. The two are not in prison, but the former has been banned from living in the region.
For today, the Municipality of Udine has proclaimed city mourning. “It is with deep emotion and sadness that I address the community to express my most sincere condolences for the tragic passing of Shimpei Tominaga. The loss of her represents a serious and painful wound for Udine”, writes the mayor of Udine Alberto Felice De Toni on Facebook. “Those who knew him – he continues – describe him as an esteemed and respected man and entrepreneur, who lived in Udine, contributing with passion and human and professional commitment to the development of the city, leaving his mark on our community”.
“But it is above all for his last, courageous gesture that I wish to remember him today. In an attempt to quell an act of violence in our city center Tominaga demonstrated an exceptional sense of civic responsibility and altruism, paying with his own life – he continues – In an era in which too often we remain indifferent towards others, his sacrifice represents a example of humanity and courage, values that our society increasingly needs”.
“On behalf of the municipal administration and the entire city of Udine, I offer my deepest condolences to his wife Chinatsu, his 13-year-old son, and all his family and friends. In this moment of immense pain, we are close to you and offer you our most sincere support and solidarity – he concludes – The fight against crime and violence requires a great commitment and today more than ever in Udine we need to restore peace and serenity in the our city, also with strong actions that help guarantee the safety of citizens. Shimpei Tominaga set a great example, now we must follow him so that this doesn’t happen again in Udine.”
