Second Marsaskala shooting victim dies

Senior police investigators rushed to Mater Dei Hospital's Intensive Therapy Unit yesterday evening, after receiving news that 32-year-old Stephen Zammit from Fgura - who had been recovering from a shooting in Marsascala on March 15 - had died, reportedly choking as he ate and suffering a seizure, requiring CPR.

Zammit's condition was said to have been "good" notwithstanding the serious injuries he had sustained during the shooting, which were expected to leave him paralysed due to a bullet reportedly embedded in his spine.

Another man, 22 year-old Kevin Gatt from Ghaxaq died in the same shooting, for which 45 year-old  Giuseppe Cutajar is currently being held in preventative custody at Corradino Prisons as he faces charges for murder and grievious bodily harm.

A new magisterial inquiry has been ordered and police were swift to change the original charge against Gutajar to double murder, as they appeared before Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona this morning, who found enough evidence to indict Cutajar.

After weeks under sedation, investigators are reported to have spoken to Zammit about the shooting, but sources say that his reconstruction was "confused" and "not credible".

On the night of March 15, Stephen Zammit was found crouched on the floor by the passenger seat of a Hyundai Accent car inside a garage complex in Guzeppi Lanzon Street. He could not speak or move, and had at least three bullet wounds to his back and chest.

Kevin Gatt was found slumped on the wheel in the driver's seat, while bullet holes were visible on his door.

According to Homicide Department inspector James Grech, some nine bullet casings were found on the floor next to the car, while experts found a gun in Gatt's gloved hands.

During the court hearing presided by Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona, Inspector Grech said that the accused Giuseppe Cutajar, known as 'Il-Lion' was interrogated for three times following the shooting.

Inspector Grech said that Giuseppe Cutajar claimed to have been ambushed by Gatt and Zammit as he drove his BMW into the garage complex to park.

He said that he was followed by a Hyundai car with two men inside, and drove beside him.

According to the accused, Stephen Zammit who sat on the passenger seat of the Hyundai told the driver Kevin Gatt to shoot.

Cutajar said that he ducked as a shot rang out, and managed to slide out of his car through the passenger door and run for cover, while remembering that he had a gun hidden in the vicinity and went to grab it.

He told police that the Kevin Gatt and Stephen Zammit reversed at speed in an attempt to cut him off, and when cornered he fired back and emptied his magazine.

Even though the police later found the Taurus gun which killed Gatt and critically injured Zammit hidden inside a water tank on Cutajar's roof some six floors above street level, the accused stressed that he couldn't remember what he did with the weapon, which later transpired to have been among a number of weapons which had been stolen from a collector in Zejtun some two years earlier.

Giuseppe Cutajar is being assisted by lawyers Emmanuel Mallia and Arthur Azzopardi.