Three police officers were killed and more than a dozen others were injured in a tragic explosion during an eviction operation. Following the incident in Castel d’Azzano, Italy, three siblings named Dino, Franco, and Maria Luisa Rampini were taken into custody. Verona’s chief prosecutor, Raffaele Tito, announced that the trio was under investigation for premeditated murder as the police were deliberately targeted during the eviction process.
The explosion occurred when the carabinieri were executing a court order and were struck by a deliberate blast from a gas tank. Regional governor Luca Zaia condemned the alleged act as “absolutely crazy,” revealing that the farmhouse had been filled with gas before the explosion.
According to Mr. Tito, the eviction had been meticulously planned, but the violent response was unforeseeable. The tragic event unfolded during the second attempt to evict the siblings, who had taken over the property in 2024. Mr. Zaia claimed that during a previous eviction attempt, the siblings had threatened to blow up the house in protest against the foreclosure of their family farm.
In a video from the previous year’s eviction attempt, Ms. Rampini expressed defiance, stating that they would resist the eviction by any means necessary. Following this year’s explosion, two siblings were arrested, while the third was apprehended after an extensive search in a nearby field. The trio is facing charges of murder, with the possibility of additional charges of mass murder.
The intentional explosion has sparked outrage in Italy, leading to a national day of mourning declared by the local government in honor of the three deceased officers—Marco Piffari, Davide Bernardello, and Valerio Daprà. The community of Castel d’Azzano expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with the families of the fallen officers, emphasizing their gratitude for the sacrifices made by law enforcement personnel in the line of duty.