He had been removed from the gym for his behavior and attitude, which the instructors and the owner deemed disrespectful. This refusal was apparently not accepted by Cristian Musu, a 52-year-old from Cagliari and resident in Elmas, who yesterday morning, around 10:00 a.m., fired two shots in the parking lot of the gym on Via Renzo Laconi in Cagliari's Mulinu Becciu neighborhood. The first bullet was aimed at a dance teacher who, according to the reconstruction, rejected him. The day before, she had also denied him enrollment in one of her classes. Fortunately, the bullet did not hit the woman or her friend. Both managed to escape. Then, with the same rifle, Musu took his own life, firing a shot to the chest. Police and emergency personnel arrived on the scene and found the body of the 52-year-old Barracello man on the ground. The emergency services could only pronounce him dead. Beside it was the firearm used first to shoot the two women and then to kill themselves. "We're still in shock," the two victims said. "We're also very angry because we demand that our noes and refusals be respected, whether we're talking about our bodies, our work, or our feelings. Episodes like this shouldn't happen."
The reconstruction
Police headquarters received a report at 10:40 yesterday morning regarding a gunshot. Police arrived in Mulinu Becciu with crews from the Flying Squad and emergency medical services, later joined by investigators from the Flying Squad and forensic officers for further investigation. The investigation, coordinated by manager Davide Carboni, led to a reconstruction of what happened. According to the investigations, Cristian Musu was already known to the gym: he had attended other classes in the past, but had been kicked out due to his behavior. He attempted to re-enroll in a dance class on Saturday morning, but the manager again refused. So, yesterday morning, he showed up on Via Renzo Laconi with a 12-gauge shotgun, a weapon that was later found to be legally owned.
The epilogue
"He didn't accept our refusal and showed up in person," one of the two women who was attacked continues. The gym is usually closed on Sundays, but yesterday there was a class the 52-year-old had wanted to attend. "I told him he shouldn't have been there and that he couldn't keep insisting, but he couldn't accept it." At that point, Musu reportedly said, "I'll show you." He then grabbed the shotgun from his car and fired the first shot, which fortunately missed the two instructors. He fired in the direction of both of them, but the target was apparently only one of them, with whom—according to the investigation—the man had become infatuated. The bullet, however, struck the upper part of the entrance to the building that houses the gym. The two dance teachers were thus able to escape. Musu, meanwhile, fired the second shot at himself with the same 12-gauge shotgun.
The autopsy
During the investigation, forensic officers collected two 12-gauge shell casings and other evidence deemed useful for a complete reconstruction of the events. At the police station, investigators from the Flying Squad and patrol officers, coordinated by the Prosecutor's Office, collected statements from the two women to establish a complete picture of the incident. Following the investigation, Musu's body was transferred to Brotzu Hospital. At the Prosecutor's Office's request, an autopsy will be performed.
Roberto Carta
