A barman was shot dead in the head after allegedly making offensive comments about the killer’s girlfriend months earlier.
Paolo Taormina was killed at around 3am on yesterday (12 Oct) outside his venue – owned by his parents – in front of dozens of young people.
Suspect Gaetano Maranzano, 28, did not resist when arrested hours later at his partner’s home.
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He reportedly claimed he had argued with Paolo months earlier over the comments.
Paolo was trying to break up a fight when the two crossed paths again.
Amid the chaos, Maranzano allegedly pulled out an illegally owned 9mm pistol and shot Paolo in the head in Palermo, Italy, as reported by Need To Know.
“About 10 of them were beating up a kid,” an anonymous witness told local media.
“Paolo came out and told them to stop and move away because they were trying to work.
“It seemed over – then one of them shot him at point-blank range.”
Paolo’s mother, Fabiola Galioto, was inside the bar at the time and witnessed Maranzano fire the gun.
Her son died in her arms moments later.
“His heart was still beating; I could hear him breathing,” she recalled.
Paolo had returned to Sicily from the US, where he had been studying, a few months ago. Friends remembered him as polite, kind, and hardworking.
Maranzano, from a rough Palermo neighbourhood, has a criminal record for assault and drug offences.
The father of a young child, his own father was previously convicted of attempted murder.
Police are investigating,
Paolo is survived by his parents, sister, and younger brother.
