ROME - A 50-year-old Italian man with a blank criminal record seriously injured a Rom baby girl last week in South-East Rome by ‘accidentally’ shooting her whilst testing his gun, police said on Wednesday.

 The suspect, now charged with inflicting grave injuries, said in a statement that the shot was fired accidentally while he was on his terrace inspecting his weapon that had become jammed. “I didn’t realise that I had injured the girl,” he said to the Carabinieri of the Casilina troupe who are investigating him.

 The man was questioned on Tuesday and admitted to involvement in the accident; investigators have also found in his apartment a rifle and a compressed air pistol, whilst the judge will draw on weapon experts to look into the type of gun used.

 The accident occurred last Tuesday in the Roman Quartier of Centrocelle; the victim’s mother was walking in via Palmiro Togliatti with her daughter in her arms when she noticed blood pouring from the 14-month-old's back. The little girl was immediately taken to hospital; first to Pertini, then to Bambino Gesù, where she underwent surgery. Her conditions are now stable but serious.

 Marco A., an ex-employee of the state, was identified thanks to traditional-style investigations by the Carabinieri of the Investigative centre in Rome. Starting with the specific size of the barrel of the gun used, the police visited every armoury in the area one by one and found out who had recently acquired corresponding bullets.

 The suspect in fact had a rifle and compressed air pistol on general sale, which was hence not necessary to bring to the armoury because it had a force of less than 7.5 joules. The man had a blank criminal record and at the moment there is nothing to suggest the crime had a racist motive, but investigations have only just begun. The suspect admitted to having fired a shot by accident in the presence of the Carabinieri of the via in Selci and of his lawyer.

 The mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, visited the little girl recovering at Bambin Gesù.

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