Murder in Ischia leading to two deaths and one in critical condition

 ISCHIA - A planned ambush, a massacre organised down to the last detail, was carried out on Saturday in Forio d'Ischia by 69-year-old Antonio Luongo, a retired waste collector, who left Pomigliano d'Arco to try to kill his ex-wife Lyudmyla Velykgolova, a 42-year-old Ukrainian woman, the only survivor of Saturday afternoon's shooting, police said. The woman is in critical condition at Cardarelli Hospital in Naples, where she was transferred by air ambulance after undergoing surgery. Her prognosis is uncertain. Luongo killed his ex-wife's partner, Nunzio Russo Spena (a 49-year-old Neapolitan worker) and his ex-mother-in-law Zinoviya Knihnitska, a 62-year-old Ukrainian woman living in Ischia, then chased his ex-wife, firing six shots at her. He then turned the weapon on himself, an illegally held Beretta with the serial number filed off.

 The attacker knew that his ex-wife and Russo Spena were on the island to spend a few days with his mother. So, after disembarking, he rented a car in Casamicciola and drove to the Cuotto area, in the upper part of the municipality of Forio. Here, on Saturday morning, he was immediately noticed by the two women, but when the Carabinieri arrived, alerted by the mother and daughter, Luongo left. His ex-wife, interpreting his presence as intimidation, filed a formal complaint against the man towards the end of the morning, while according to the police, there are no previous reports of abuse or harassment on record.

 The 69-year-old then waited for his former relatives to leave the house before starting to shoot. His former mother-in-law and his ex-wife's partner were shot first, in front of the entrance to a hotel currently closed for renovation, then he chased the 42-year-old woman into an alleyway as she tried to take shelter by returning to her relatives' house. The man then died while being transported to the hospital in Ischia, the same hospital where his ex-wife arrived in very serious condition. In the evening, she underwent a long and delicate surgical procedure and was then transferred by helicopter to Cardarelli Hospital in Naples, where she remains in serious condition.

 Shortly after the shooting, law enforcement arrived on the scene, and traffic in the upper part of Forio was paralysed for hours. The news of the massacre caused shock and grief on an island that had never experienced a tragic event of this magnitude. Between Saturday evening and Sunday, the official events of the municipality of Forio were cancelled. “Our community,” said Mayor Stani Verde, “is deeply shaken by the tragedy that saw two innocent lives lost in dramatic circumstances. Although they were not citizens of Forio, they had strong ties to our town. Once again, we are faced with a femicide and a double murder linked to dynamics that have nothing to do with love. Our entire community stands with the families of those involved, and we always promote respect, dignity and the protection of human life.”

rs