Three ladies were killed, including a friend of Italy’s incoming prime minister, when a man opened fire at a cafe in Rome, injuring four others.
Those inside were attending a meeting of the residents’ committee of a nearby block.
The mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, called the shooting a “terrible event of violence” and said he will attend an emergency meeting on Monday.
A suspect, 57, has been apprehended. According to reports, he has a history of disagreements with several of the committee’s board members.
According to Italy’s La Repubblica daily, the committee’s vice-president, Luciana Ciorba, was at the cafe in the Fidene district.
She claimed the gunman entered the bar on Sunday and yelled “I’ll kill you all” before pulling out his firearm. Other people overcame him before he was apprehended by authorities.
One of those injured, thought to be two women and two men, is still in critical condition.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni identified one of the victims as her friend, Nicoletta Golisano. Elisabetta Silenzi and Sabina Sperandio were the names of the other women who died.
Ms Meloni stated in a Facebook post, where she expressed her sorrow to Ms Golisano’s family, that she will remember her friend as “beautiful and happy.”
Ms. Meloni also stated that the shooting range where the suspect allegedly took the gun used in the attack had been shuttered and was being investigated.
Police have yet to comment on the suspect’s motivation, who has been named in the Italian press but not formally. The incident is not suspected to have been motivated by politics.
According to reports, the suspect and the apartment building’s board of residents have been at odds for some time.
In October, Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Italy’s far-right Brothers of Italy party, became the country’s first female prime minister.
