Fatal Stabbings on the Sidelines of a Barbecue Party in Apulia
An 18-year-old from Andria dies in the hospital—the Carabinieri are searching for the perpetrator
Trani – In Trani, Apulia, an 18-year-old man from neighboring Andria died early Thursday morning after being stabbed in the back during a mass brawl. The Carabinieri are searching for the perpetrator and have questioned several people involved. The victim has been identified as Cosimo Quagliarella.
The altercation escalated shortly after midnight in Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, a square on the outskirts of the historic center. A group of young people had gathered there for a barbecue. According to initial reports, two groups clashed—one from Trani and the other from Andria. A verbal argument turned into a brawl, during which broken glass bottles were also used. In the melee, someone pulled out a knife.
The 18-year-old suffered three deep stab wounds to his back. People with him initially took him to a first-aid facility in Trani; the staff there alerted the Carabinieri and arranged for him to be transferred to the hospital in Bisceglie. He died from his injuries a few hours after the incident. Doctors had tried to stabilize him.
The Carabinieri company in Trani is leading the investigation. Officers obtained footage from surveillance cameras around the square and interviewed witnesses as well as several young men who are believed to have been involved in the brawl. The main focus of the investigation is to determine how many people were involved and who inflicted the stab wounds. The authorities did not initially provide any information regarding the identity of a suspect.
Trani is located on the Adriatic coast between Barletta and Bisceglie and is one of Apulia’s most popular tourist destinations; in the summer, the harbor and the old town fill up every evening with young people from all over the region. The fatal altercation occurred at a time when the towns in the Barletta-Andria-Trani province were preparing their Ferragosto festivities. As of Thursday morning, it was unclear whether the municipality would cancel any events.
