The death of Michele Lanfranchi, the 19-year-old whose body was found on Saturday night in a street in the Giostra district of Messina, is still a mystery. The victim had a gunshot wound to the neck; the weapon was found next to his body. This last circumstance does not exclude other hypotheses in addition to that of murder which had been indicated by the flying squad investigators themselves. The young man, according to the police, may in fact have committed suicide or been the victim of a shot fired by mistake. The fingerprint and ballistic examination of the weapon will be decisive.
The shell next to the body
State police officers intervened immediately on the spot, as well as a 118 ambulance, after the alarm raised by some of the boy’s friends who had spent the evening with him. The doctors were only able to confirm the young man’s death caused by a bullet that pierced his jugular. Next to the body also a 7.65 caliber cartridge case. Meanwhile, the investigators spoke to the young man’s relatives and friends to reconstruct his last hours before the discovery of his body.
A tragic accident?
One of the most popular hypotheses at the moment is that the gunshot was fired accidentally while the young man, who would have turned 20 in July, was tinkering with the weapon, perhaps to show it to a friend. Suddenly a bullet was fired and pierced his neck. In short, a tragic accident. A version that however remains to be verified.
The pain of friends
Many of the victim’s friends on social media say they are incredulous and heartbroken over his death. “I don’t want to believe it – writes Tindara – shortly before you were with me, it seems like a nightmare…”. “There are no words to express the void you left I can’t think about it I remember when we last saw each other calling me aunt Lella I want to remember you with that big smile you had… you were a sociable boy always joking etc… rip beautiful angel ”, says Leila.
