Italian lawmaker placed under investigation over New Year’s gun accident

Italian prosecutors on Tuesday placed a lawmaker from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party under investigation after a bystander was injured by a shot fired from his gun at a New Year’s celebration.

Emanuele Pozzolo, who is a member of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, said the small revolver from which the bullet came belonged to him but has denied discharging the weapon himself.

Meloni faced opposition calls on Tuesday to expel Pozzolo from the party over the incident. The shot slightly injured the son-in-law of a member of the security team who were with a junior justice minister attending the same event to bring in the new year in the northern Italian village of Rosazza.

Prosecutors in the nearby town of Biella are investigating the politician over allegations of wounding, dangerous discharge of a weapon and failure to properly look after a weapon, they said in a statement.

They have also seized the 0.22 caliber North American Arms mini-revolver and the bullet removed from the thigh of the victim as part of the investigation.

Pozzolo had a licence for the gun but opposition politicians are asking why he decided to take it to a New Year’s party.

“These incompetents are a danger to the safety of those who meet them, let alone the interests of the country,” said Elly Schlein, leader of the opposition centre-left Democratic Party.

The right-wing Brothers of Italy said in a statement that unspecified action would be taken against Pozzolo if he was found to have done wrong but condemned efforts to use the incident to attack the party politically.