Italy's Prime Minister suspends party colleague over New Year's Eve shooting scandal

In her speech at a press conference, also attended by the Deputy Minister of Justice, the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, addressed the unfortunate and troubling incident at the New Year's Eve party.

Her party colleague, Deputy Emanuele Pozzolo, attended the New Year's Eve party carrying a loaded firearm. The firearm went off under circumstances that are still unclear. Initial findings suggest that the weapon was discharged while being passed around. The son-in-law of a police officer from the Deputy Minister's security detail sustained minor injuries. He was promptly taken to the hospital.

"The discharge was accidental, but I did not pull the trigger," declared Pozzolo, deputy of the governing party. Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Justice maintained that he was not in the room when the weapon was discharged.

Since this incident, several opposition politicians have called for Pozzolo's resignation, but the ruling party has rallied around the embattled deputy. Now, the Prime Minister of Italy has publicly condemned her colleague's act of bringing a firearm to a social gathering.

"This is a situation that is completely unacceptable," asserted Meloni. She also announced that Pozzolo would be suspended from his membership of the Brothers of Italy party, and a special commission of inquiry would be set up to probe further into the case. The Italian prosecutor's office has also initiated an investigation into the shooting.