An Italian restaurant owner who shot a burglar dead is being investigated for voluntary manslaughter, sparking calls Saturday for changes to the country's law covering self-defence killings. Mario Cattaneo, 67, killed the burglar with a single shot from his hunting rifle early Friday after hearing intruders breaking into his restaurant.
They apparently had the intention of stealing cigarettes from the adjacent tobacconist, according to police cited by Italian media.
A magistrate has placed the owner of the "Osteria dei Amis" in Gugnano near Milan under formal investigation on suspicion of committing a crime which carries a minimum prison term of 21 years.
It sparked howls of outrage from right-wing politicians.
Maurizio Gasparri, a close ally of Silvio Berlusconi, launched an appeal for funds to pay the restaurateur's legal bills. Regional president Roberto Maroni said: "It's the world turned upside down."
Northern League leader Matteo Salvini called for a change in the law to ensure self-defence could automatically be invoked in such cases.
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