Cops have arrested an elderly man from a suspected Italian mafia family for ordering another man suspected of exposing a crime to kneel and executing him with a shot to the head.
The incident took place at the ‘Dante Gomme’ car tyre store in the comune of Cadelbosco di Sopra in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna on the afternoon of Saturday, 23rd October. The older man was the manager there and had been accused of theft by the younger man
Salvatore Silipo, 29, who hailed from the comune of Crotone in the Italian region of Calabria but who had been living with his family in the comune of Gualtieri, was fatally shot in the incident.
According to reports, the victim, who was the father of a two-year-old boy and a days-old girl, had been employed by the car tyre store until about a month before the incident took place. It is believed he had accused the manager of stealing tyres from the store.
The manager of the store, 70-year-old Dante Sestito, who hails from the comune of Cutro close to Crotone but who lives in Cadelbosco di Sopra, is from a family under investigation because of links to organised crime.
He was arrested on the night of the alleged crime after he was caught by police officers that were passing by at the time.
The two police officers on patrol heard the shouts of the victim’s cousin from the roadside and made the arrest as the older man tried to flee.
He is accused of murder, receiving stolen goods, and illegal firearm and ammunition possession. He exercised his right to remain silent while accompanied by his lawyer during questioning.
A revolver, which had been stolen in the comune of Pieve di Cento in Emilia-Romagna in January 2019, was seized along with ammunition from the scene by the police.
The man had reportedly been with his cousin in the garage at the time of the incident for an unspecified meeting, which was attended by relatives of both parties.
According to the police, the company featured in an investigation into organised crime, for which the suspect’s son, Antonio Sestito, is due to be questioned in the coming days.
He and another 190 people face accusations of making profits from false invoicing.
The police reported that the garage in which the alleged crime took place had been shot at some years ago.
They also reported that the victim had been arrested in mid-2020 for allegedly co-running a cocaine business based in a garage in Gualtieri.
Cocaine and packaging materials were seized from the scene at the time.
The investigation into Silipo’s death is ongoing.
