Prosecutors said before the Brussels Assize Court on Monday that a four-year neighbour dispute in Machelen, Flemish Brabant, ended with a fatal shooting on 25 August 2024.
Public Prosecutor Aurélie Baurain set out the facts that led to the trial of Fortunato Martelli and presented the prosecution’s timeline of the long-running conflict, which she said escalated into the fatal shooting of Shpetim Ayvazi on a public road.
At the time of the shooting, the Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutor’s office said the violence appeared to have been triggered by a dispute over a parking space. According to the initial investigation, the suspect fled after the shooting but was arrested near Overijse following a chase.
A review of complaints and police reports cited in court showed that tensions between the two men began in 2021, when Martelli complained about noise nuisance.
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The dispute later centred mainly on a parking space that both men claimed for themselves. The conflict involved threats and, at one point, Martelli being punched in the face.
In 2024, police noted what they described as “a certain tension between the neighbours”. In May that year, the parties reportedly refused a proposal for mediation.
Prosecutors said that on 25 August 2024, while Ayvazi’s family were in the middle of moving house, Martelli came out of his home and opened fire. They said he was in illegal possession of two firearms and did not have a licence for either weapon.
The prosecution is seeking convictions for murder, two counts of attempted murder, including one involving a minor, illegal possession of two firearms and making threats.
