Tetraplegic student Laura Salafia dies in Catania due to stray bullet (62 characters)

Last Updated: October 16, 2023

Laura Salafia, a 47-year-old student at the Faculty of Letters in Catania, has died. In 2010, she was left quadriplegic after being hit by a stray bullet in the cervical section of her spine while having lunch with colleagues after passing an exam. The shooter, Andrea Rizzotti, was sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison, as his target was a criminal who had insulted him earlier. After the incident, Salafia spent 16 months in therapy at a specialized center in Montecatone before returning to Catania, where she lived in an adapted house. She began collaborating with a newspaper, publishing her “open diary” periodically, which was later compiled into a book. Salafia met Pope Francis in 2016 and was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Merit by the Italian President in 2021. Recently, she received an honorary master’s degree in Modern Philology from the University of Catania.