Trani: 18-year-old killed in youth brawl, 17-year-old detained

An 18-year-old man, Cosimo Quagliarella from Andria, died after being stabbed during a brawl in Trani, Puglia. The incident occurred in the early hours of August 13 in Piazza Papa Giovanni XXIII, an area known locally as the ‘pinetina’. The conflict reportedly involved two groups of youths, one from Trani and the other from Andria.

An autopsy conducted at the Policlinico of Bari confirmed that Quagliarella died from fatal wounds to his back, specifically a puncture to the lung and heart area. A 17-year-old boy from Trani has been detained and charged with voluntary homicide. The teenager voluntarily presented himself to the Carabinieri accompanied by his lawyer, Enrico Alvisi.

The defense claims the minor acted in self-defense during a ‘punitive raid’ by a group of five or six people, alleging that the 17-year-old was surrounded and threatened with a firearm. Investigators are currently working to locate the murder weapon and are reviewing surveillance footage to reconstruct the exact dynamics of the fight. The investigation is being coordinated by the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office of Bari.