Convicted Killer Dead After Throwing Himself ‘Dozens of Meters’ from Milan’s Duomo Cathedral While on the Run: Reports

An Italian man who police were searching for in connection with allegedly stabbing his colleague is believed to have taken his own life.

The 35-year-old man  — identified as Emanuele De Maria — fell “dozens of meters” from Milan’s famed Duomo Cathedral after seemingly throwing himself toward the square below shortly before 2:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 11, local outlets Milano Today, Corriere della Sera Daily and ANSA news agency reported.

Having “grazed a little boy with a stuffed toy in his hand” while falling, De Maria was recognized by his tattoos, according to the outlets. Witness Emanuele Sanità told Corriere della Sera Daily that it was a “miracle” the boy wasn’t killed in the incident and said the child sat in shock for around 20 minutes.

“I saw a black spot fall very quickly. Then I heard a bang, like a gunshot,” Sanità, who is the owner of the Fresco e Cimmino bar in Piazza Duomo, told the outlet of De Maria’s fall. “All the people around ran away. Everyone from my bar got up. It was deserted.”

“I approached and noticed a man on the ground, without shoes because they had flown off,” he continued. “There were some doctors passing by, they felt his pulse but there was nothing they could do: he was dead. Then some police officers approached and alerted the emergency services.”

An ambulance and a medical car arrived on the scene but were unable to revive De Maria, Milano Today reported.

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Prior to the incident, the convicted killer had been working as a receptionist at the Berna hotel with permission from the Bollate prison for nearly two years, according to CBS News. 

On Friday, police were forced to launch a search for him after he went on the run, having allegedly stabbed a 50-year-old colleague, later identified as Hani Fouad Abdelghaffar.

Authorities were suspicious that De Maria may have fled to Northern Europe, as back in 2016, he boarded a train and went on the run after killing a 23-year-old Tunisian girl in Castel Volturno, in the province of Caserta, per Milano Today.

He became a fugitive in the Netherlands before his arrest in Germany in 2018, which concluded with a 15-year prison sentence for the murder.

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Abdelghaffar’s condition seemed to be improving on Sunday after undergoing an emergency operation on his neck and chest at Nihuarda Hospital, Milano Today reported. 

According to the outlet, police are keen to interview him about De Maria’s motive for the attempted murder and to gather details about a 50-year-old woman, originally from Sri Lanka, who was found dead after disappearing on Friday. She had also worked with De Maria in the hotel, according to the ANSA news agency.

Milan Police Headquarters didn’t immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Monday, May 12.