2 Italian police officers killed, 3 wounded by robbery suspects

shooting incident

ROME, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Two Italian police officers were shot dead and three others wounded by two robbery suspects at a police station in the northeastern port city of Trieste on Friday.

None of the wounded officers was in serious condition, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The report said that the two suspects are brothers, aged 29 and 32. They were suspected of stealing a scooter. They used a gun stolen from an agent in the shooting, then tried to flee but were apprehended soon after.

Following the incident, both Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte issued messages to denounce the killing and mourn the deaths of officers.

​Conte tweeted that "this tragedy wounds the State" and expressed the government's sympathies to the families of the two victims and to the entire police force.