An Italian woman who died in a shooting at a rave in Switzerland has been pictured for the first time. Maria Spinelli, 22, was killed when a gunman opened fire at a crowd at the Aarauer Rave in Aarau, near Zurich, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Maria, who worked as a waitress, had recently moved from Città Sant’Angelo in Italy to nearby Oftringen.
Mayor's tribute to Maria Spinelli
The mayor of Città Sant’Angelo, Matteo Perazzetti, said: ‘She had left for Switzerland, carrying with the dreams and hopes of a girl who wanted to conquer her future. That life, still to be lived, was tragically taken from her.’
Mr Perazzetti added that he had spoken to the Spinelli family and expressed his ‘deepest condolences’. He continued: ‘Città Sant’Angelo stands with the Spinelli family and mourns the loss of their young daughter. Goodbye, Maria. A young angel flies to heaven.’
Police manhunt under way
Five others were injured in the attack, some seriously. Police in Switzerland are now searching for the gunman or gunmen. On Sunday, a cordon was put in place around a horse racing track where the shooting took place.
‘The manhunt for the unknown perpetrator is under way,’ Aargau Cantonal Police said in a statement yesterday. ‘Possible motives as well as the exact circumstances of the crime are still unclear.’
Vanessa Rumpold, media spokesperson for the Aargau Cantonal Police, said in a statement on Sunday that ‘several shots were fired within a large group of people.’ ‘It is not yet clear what exactly happened,’ she added.
Witnesses report gunfire
Swiss news outlet Blick said there was a large police presence at the scene of the shooting on Sunday morning. Witnesses told the outlet they heard ‘repeated gunfire’ shortly after 2.30am local time.
One reader told the publication her friend, who was at the event, hid under the DJ booth when they heard shots ring out. Another initially thought the loud banging noises were fireworks.
