Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Trek-Segafredo rider Antonio Tiberi has been fined for shooting and killing his neighbor’s cat with an air rifle.
According to reports in the Italian press, Tiberi was fined 4,000 Euros by a court in San Marino, where he has lived since March 2022. The 21-year-old admitted to aiming at the cat, but told the judge that he “had no intention of killing the animal.”
Tiberi joined Trek-Segafredo in 2021 and is a developing GC talent for the squad, recently finishing seventh at the UAE Tour. His contract with the team runs through 2024.
“My intent was simply to measure the shooting capacity of the weapon, so much so that I aimed at a prohibition sign,” Tiberi told the court. “I also admit that I, just as stupidly and unconsciously, tried to hit a cat and to my surprise I actually hit it. I had no intention of killing the animal, in fact, I was convinced that the weapon wasn’t lethal.”
VeloNews has contacted Trek-Segafredo for comment. A team spokesperson said that a statement would be issued, though nothing has yet been released.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the incident took place on June 21 last year. Tiberi had recently purchased the air rifle and was testing his aim by shooting from the window of his home in San Marino.
The court was told that Tiberi first aimed at a road sign before firing at the passing cat, hitting it in the head and killing it instantly.
The owner of the cat witnessed the incident and immediately called the police. It turned out that the owner, who was Tiberi’s neighbor, was the former head of state of San Marino, Federico Pedini Amati.
Pedini Amati has spoken out since and said Tiberi should not be allowed to remain in San Marino, which is a microstate that has its own laws separate to those of Italy.
“The cat didn’t bother anyone. He had been with us for a long time. My daughter Lucia, three years old, loved it. I appreciate that the boy admitted the fact. Having said that, we do not need to give residence to these people,” Pedini Amati said.