Zhang Dayong, 53, known as “Asheng”, and his partner Gong Xiaoqing, 38, were shot dead in a hail of bullets in Rome from a passing motorcycle in an escalation of violence between rival gangs
News Tim Hanlon News Reporter 09:25, 17 Apr 2025
A couple were shot dead by killers on a passing motorcycle in what police believe was a gang-land assassination just feet from their own home.
Zhang Dayong, 53, known as “Asheng”, was found dead alongside his partner Gong Xiaoqing, 38, after being hit in a hail of bullets outside their home in the Pigneto district of Rome. The killings come after a spike in violence among Chinese Triad gangs in the Italian capital which has spilled over from the Tuscan city of Prato and state prosecutors believe the brutal shooting of the couple could have been a revenge attack.
The couple were hit in the back of the head with at least six shots fired at them on Monday evening while they were cycling home. The killers approached the couple on a motorcycle, opening fire on them just feet from the building where they lived.
Both Zhang and Gong died from gunshot wounds to the backs of their heads Prosecutors have said the double slaying could be a "revenge killing", saying it may be related to the 'Coat Hanger Wars' which has been escalating in recent years.
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The 'Coat Hanger Wars' is the label that has been given to violence between Chinese criminal gangs, with the brutality increasing over the years. It all stems from a fight for control for logistics in the clothing sector. Prato, near Florence, has Italy’s largest Chinese community specialising in textile making.
Violence from competing crime gangs has rocked the city. Police in Prato has seen the rate of violent incidents soar, including assaults, arson, and attempted murders.
But this violence has also spread to other cities in Italy and in Europe, including Madrid and Paris. Prosecutors believe that ‘Asheng’ worked for Naizhong Zhang, a Chinese-Italian boss who is accused of organised crime across Italy, France, Germany and Spain.
Zhang almost had a complete monopoly over the distribution of goods throughout Europe involving Chinese companies, it is alleged. This is said to have been built through threats and violence against Chinese company owners, according to anti-mafia prosecutors.
'Asheng' was allegeldy involved in managing underground gambling, loan-sharking and enforcement operations in Rome, according to prosecutors. He was seen as a central figure in an investigation from 2018 dubbed 'China Truck' which was an anti-mafia operation led by Florence prosecutors in which the activities of Chinese trafficking gangs in Prato were uncovered.
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Meanwhile, British and Italian police chiefs unleashed a Mafia-style crackdown targeting smuggling gangs, the Mirror revealed in February. A new taskforce made up of crime agencies and Government officials has been launched to "follow the money" approach at a crunch meeting in Rome.
The dirty money squad is set to use methods honed by Italian authorities to claw assets away from Mob bosses. The two nations will share intelligence with each other on cash linked to organised immigration groups. And they are poised to work together to seize the ill-gotten gains of criminal gangs responsible for smuggling people across Europe.
Figures from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Italian police and UK and Italian government officials will meet in the Italian capital to launch the Joint Illicit Finance Taskforce. This will see UK and Italian law enforcers work together in a bid to take down "highest harm" criminals. Law enforcers will work with other nations in Europe by sharing information that can take down criminal gangs.
