Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing.[1] Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrators to quickly strike their targets and flee the scene before law enforcement is able to respond. A drive-by shooting's prerequisites include access to a vehicle and a gun. The protection, anonymity, sense of power, and ease of escape provided by the getaway vehicle lead some perpetrators to feel safe expressing their hostility toward others.[2]
"Drive-by" redirects here. For other uses, see Drive-by (disambiguation).Italy[edit]
In Italy, the circulation of firearms is low compared to that in the United States, and just over a million civilians own a firearm license,[25] so face-to-face shooting or threats with firearms are rare. Drive-by shootings, on the other hand, are common, especially in professional criminal contexts, as the statistical incidence says that almost all assaults with firearms are carried out from cars, motorcycles, or scooters. These kinds of vehicles are used since they provide better mobility in the narrow city districts. From the 1970s into the 21st century, Cosa Nostra and the Camorra have both been known to perform drive-by shootings during clan or mafia wars, or to assassinate targets. One notable example of such, is Carabiniere general Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa, who was killed with an Ak 47 in a drive by shooting in September 1982 in Palermo.[26]
One of the most striking episodes of a drive-by shooting in Italy was the Macerata shooting, conducted against six Africans by a far-right extremist, Luca Traini, using an Alfa Romeo 147. However, the attack caused no deaths.[27]
Syrian and Iraqi civil wars[edit]
In the first decade of the 21st century, drive-by shootings were also used for assassinations by militants in Iraq,[28] including that of Waldemar Milewicz[29] and Hatem Kamil,[30] and in Syria.[31][32]