Susanna Riva On July 19, 42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir was stopped by police in the Pilastro neighborhood of Bologna. During the intervention, two officers held him down, and shortly thereafter, he died of acute respiratory failure. The event fueled public debate about the legitimacy of the use of force and led to the initiation of a technical-medical assessment ordered by the Bologna Prosecutor's Office.
The investigation focused on the three factors that experts defined as "contributing causes" of death: the compression of the body in a prone position , the subject's cocaine use , and pre-existing cardiac conditions . The combination of these factors caused sudden asphyxia , which was the cause of Fakir's death. Four Red Cross volunteers, who responded to the scene, completed the picture.
The statements of the police officers filmed by the body-cam
Body camera recordings from one of the officers provided raw and often surreal testimony. Intercepted phrases included: “ Is he breathing? ”, “ He died, oh, ” and “ I don’t care .” Later, another officer reiterated: “ I’m fine, I’m fine, but next time I’ll explain to you carefully how it’s done, because this way we’ll get hurt .”
These exchanges, more than useful, have shed light on the management of the intervention.
Exchanges during the arrest
At minute 11:06 of the video, a paramedic announces the onset of cardiac arrest: " Patient in cardiac arrest, let's begin resuscitation ." While attempting to rescue the patient, one of the officers comments: " If he dies, we'll have fun ." The words, perceived as insensitive, were subjected to strong media condemnation and fueled pressure on the judicial authorities to carry out a thorough evaluation.
The conclusions of the technical-medical report
The final report, drafted by experts consulted by the Prosecutor's Office, highlighted that compression in the prone position was one of the determining causes of death. Without this factor, the experts state, asphyxiation would not have occurred, despite cocaine use and heart disease having already reduced the subject's breathing capacity. Fabio Anselmo, representing the family, stated that "the prosecutor's consultants were unable to rule out the contributing role of the prone position."
The role of pressure and drugs
According to Professor Vittorio Fineschi, who participated in the consultation, the cocaine ingested by Fakir would have further limited his lung function, increasing his need for oxygen at a time of intense physical stress. The combination of cocaine and pre-existing cardiac conditions created a physiological "storm," rendered fatal by the compression.
The judicial consequences and next steps
The Bologna Prosecutor's Office has opened a case of manslaughter against the two Red Cross officers and four first responders. Currently, all six individuals are registered in the preliminary records, but they are not yet formally under investigation. The Prosecutor's Office must decide by November 19th whether to proceed with charges or close the case.
Meanwhile, attorney Anselmo has announced that he will submit an independent report based on the discrepancies found between the final meeting in Padua and the expert report. The report will be filed with the Bologna Prosecutor's Office in the coming days, adding further material to the legal debate.