Killing of Gjovalin Lazri in Italy: Ballistics analysis finds fatal shot was fired from less than 14 meters away

Ballistics analysis has shed new light on the killing of 36-year-old Gjovalin Lazri in Baldissero d’Alba, in Italy’s Cuneo province. According to preliminary findings, the shots that killed the Albanian man were most likely fired from a distance of no more than 14 meters.

Investigators have reconstructed the sequence of events and suspect that Roberto Mollo, 35, was awakened during the night by noises made by burglars who had entered his family’s property. He is believed to have gone from the ground floor to the first-floor balcony and, after seeing the shadows of people outside the home, used his semiautomatic pistol.

At the scene, authorities found 12 spent cartridge cases in the same spot at the house. Investigators say this may indicate that Mollo fired without changing position and in the same direction.

Three flashlights were also seized, one of which was found near Lazri’s body. Initially, the people targeted were thought to have been between 10 and 30 meters away.

But the results of the ballistics analysis suggest the actual distance may have been no more than 14 meters. One of the bullets struck Gjovalin Lazri in the neck, causing the injury that proved fatal.

The examination lasted more than five hours. Specialists fired several rounds of five shots to study the trajectories and verify whether the shooter’s position matched the location where the cartridge cases were found.

Asti prosecutor Laura Deodato, the parties’ lawyers and their experts took part in the investigative work. Another inspection is expected to be carried out at night, without firearms, to assess visibility at the scene. This will help compare the lighting conditions as accurately as possible with those on the night of the incident.

The investigation is continuing in an effort to reconstruct the moments of the confrontation accurately and clarify all the circumstances of the killing.