Mystery as three males are discovered shot useless in Sicily forest – as trio had no mafia connections
Police are investigating after three men were myseriously found shot dead in a forest in Sicily’s Nebrodi Mountains.
The bodies were discovered in the island’s east, an area long linked to mafia activity, prompting early speculation the killings could be tied to a Cosa Nostra feud.
But when it emerged that all three victims were wild boar hunters with no criminal records, detectives were left searching for answers.
Investigators now believe the men died in a tragic case of mistaken identity.
The group had been searching mist-shrouded woods near the village of Montagnareale for wild boar when Antonio Gatani, 82, reportedly heard a noise or spotted movement in the undergrowth and opened fire, thinking it was an animal.
Instead, he had shot fellow hunter Giuseppe Pino, 44, killing him, and wounding his brother, Devis Pino, 25.
In the chaos that followed, Devis is believed to have turned his gun on Gatani and shot him dead.
Police are investigating after three men were found shot dead in a forest in Sicily’s Nebrodi Mountains. Antonio Gatani (pictured) was searching the woods for wild boar near the village of Montagnareale before the tragedy
The bullets hit Giuseppe Pino, 44, (right) killing him outright, and wounded his brother, Devis Pino, 25,(left)
The bodies were discovered in the island’s east, an area long linked to mafia activity, prompting early speculation the killings could be tied to a Cosa Nostra feud
A fourth hunter, a 48-year-old identified only as AS and described as a close friend of Gatani, allegedly then shot the wounded Devis before fleeing in panic.
He was arrested several days later.
He is the only survivor of an incident that the Italian press is likening to a Hollywood film.
He has been interviewed by police but has refused to answer their questions, according to local reports.
‘We hope that during the next questioning, he will decide to respond to our questions and will provide us with a reconstruction of what happened,’ said Angelo Cavallo, the prosecutor investigating the case.
Detectives are also studying the hunters’ weapons and the trajectories of the bullets that were fired.
The truth of exactly what happened may lie with a webcam that was attached to the rifle owned by Devis Pino.
It is not clear yet what the device may have recorded.
At dawn on the morning of January 28, when the shootings happened, there was dense mist and faint light.
