A man has shot three women dead after opening fire at a cafe during a board meeting for residents of apartments in Rome.
Another four people were injured, two seriously, in the incident northeast of the city, local media has reported.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri called an emergency security meeting for after what he called "the grave episode of violence that has struck our city".
In a tweet, Mayor Gualtieri confirmed three people were killed in the shooting at a coffee shop in Fidene, a district in the northeast of the city.
"The shooting occurred in an enclosed outdoor seating area of the bar, called 'Il Posto Giusto,' or 'The Right Place," he wrote.
La Repubblica daily quoted witness Luciana Ciorba, vice president of the apartments board, as saying the man entered the bar shouting "I'll kill you all," before he opened fire.
People at the meeting managed to disarm him until Carabinieri police arrived.
Speaking in a video interview, Ms Ciorba said the man was known to board members.
He had been previously reported to authorities for making threats against local residents, she said.
"He fired at the board of directors of the consortium’, another eyewitness told the Italian news outlet.
“The weapon jammed at one point and he was blocked by some consortium members who also unlocked the door.
"I saved myself because I got under the table and managed to get out of the room on all fours’, they added.
Another eyewitness told the newspaper that some members of the consortium threw themselves on him before taking away his gun.
"He wanted to make a killing," they said.
"He had a 16-round magazine and another in his pocket.
"He wanted to hit everyone.
"The killer had been reported several times to the prosecutor and the Carabinieri for threats," they concluded.
