A bystander who filmed the horrific moment a father of two was attacked by a “male customer” has sparked outrage after no one intervened to save him.
police inside Italy have arrested a 32-year-old man after the murder of a Nigerian street vendor whose brutal murder was filmed by onlookers who made no attempt to physically intervene.
Alika Ogorchukwu, 39, was beaten to death on Friday by an Italian man, identified as Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo, in the busy city center of Civitanova Marche, a seaside town on the Adriatic Sea.
Police used street cameras to track Ferlazzo’s movements and arrested him Saturday on charges of murder and stealing the victim’s cell phone. According to the local agency ANSA, he is due to appear in court on Monday.
Shocking video footage of the attack has circulated widely on social media, sparking outrage as Italy participates in a parliamentary election campaign in which the right-wing coalition has already made immigration a problem.
Alika was selling goods when his assailant grabbed the seller’s crutch and knocked him down with a series of blows, according to police.
Alika Ogorchukwu, 39, (pictured) was beaten to death on Friday by an Italian man, identified as Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo, in the busy city center of Civitanova Marche.
Police in Italy have arrested a 32-year-old man after the murder of a Nigerian street vendor whose brutal murder was filmed by onlookers who made no attempt to physically intervene
The footage shows Ferlazzo wrestling the victim on his back on the pavement as he fights back and climbs on top of Alika in an attempt to push him to the ground
Alika was selling goods when his attacker grabbed the seller’s crutch and knocked him down with a series of blows, police say
The footage shows Ferlazzo wrestling the victim on his back on the pavement as he fights back and climbs on top of Alika in an attempt to push him to the ground.
Alika’s wife, Charity Oriachi, said, “Now I just want justice for my husband,” during a crime scene protest on Saturday.
Enrico Letta, the leader of the left-wing Democratic Party, wrote on Twitter: “The murder of Alika Ogorchukwu leaves us stunned. The unprecedented cruelty. Widespread indifference. There can be no justification.’
Right-wing leader Matteo Salvini, who has made security a part of his campaign, also expressed outrage at the death, saying: “Security has no color and must become a right again.”
“The aggressor went after the victim and hit him first with a crutch. He dropped it to the ground and finished, which resulted in death, by striking with his bare hands repeatedly,” police investigator Matteo Luconi told a news conference.
He later told Italian news channel Sky TG24 that onlookers called the police, who responded after the suspect fled and tried to help the victim. An autopsy will determine whether death was provoked by beatings, asphyxiation, or some other cause.
Luconi said the attacker lashed out after the seller “urgently” asked for change. Police questioned witnesses and viewed videos of the attack. They said the suspect has not made a statement.
Alika, who was married with two children, resorted to selling goods on the street after being hit by a car and losing his job as a laborer due to his injuries, said Daniel Amanza, who runs the ACSIM Association for Immigrants in the United States. Marche region. Macerata Province.
Alika, who was married and had two children, struggled in the shocking footage
Enrico Letta, the leader of the left-wing Democratic Party, wrote on Twitter: “The murder of Alika Ogorchukwu leaves us stunned. The unprecedented cruelty. Widespread indifference. There can be no justification’
Amanza gave a different version of what happened, claiming that the Ferlazzo became enraged when Alika told the man’s “girlfriend” that she was beautiful.
“This compliment killed him,” Amanza told The Associated Press.
“The tragic fact is that there were a lot of people around. They filmed and said ‘Stop,’ but no one moved to break them up,” Amanza said.
Macerata was the site of a 2018 shooting targeting African immigrants that left six people injured. Luca Traini, 31, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the shooting, which was classified as a hate crime according to Italy’s highest court.
Civitanova Marche mayor Fabrizio Ciarapica met with members of the Nigerian community on Saturday after hundreds of people demonstrated at the crime scene.
“My conviction is not only for the (crime) but also for the indifference,” Ciarapica told Sky. “This is something that has shocked citizens.”
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who leads his own small party, called on political leaders to “instrumentalize” the attack.
“I am shocked by this electoral climate,” he said on social media. “A father was brutally and racially murdered while passersby made videos without stopping the aggressor. And instead of thinking about what we are becoming, politicians argue and instrumentalize.’