Overview

• Paolo Taormina, 21, was fatally shot in the forehead at close range after stepping in to stop a beating outside his parents' pub 'O Scruscio' around 3:30 a.m. near the Teatro Massimo.
• Witness accounts describe a group assaulting a young man before one attacker drew a handgun and fired, then fled with others on scooters.
• Carabinieri detained a young suspect in the Uditore district, as reported by ANSA, with judicial steps and formal charges still pending.
• Investigators are gathering CCTV footage from multiple venues and interviewing numerous witnesses across the Piazza Spinuzza nightlife area.
• Emergency crews, including three ambulances, responded but Taormina could not be saved, and his body was taken to the Policlinico where an autopsy is expected; the 'Champagneria' zone has a record of fights and police 'Alto impatto' operations.