They pushed open the heavy wooden doors; inside the church, candlelight flickered. It was vast and silent, with the statue of the Virgin Mary gazing compassionately down.
"Police! Is anyone there?" Esposito shouted, his hand on the gun holster at his waist.
Suddenly, intense gunfire erupted from the shadows of the confessional and the back chapel!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets came raining down like a storm!
This was no inspection; it was an ambush!
The roar of submachine guns and carbines echoed under the church's dome, deafening, while saint statues were shattered by bullets, and splinters flew from the pews.
Esposito and his men hadn't even fully drawn their guns before they were enveloped in the crossfire.
Bullets tore through their bulletproof vests, piercing their bodies, blood blooming in the dim light.
A young officer tried to find cover but had his skull blown open by a bullet.
The massacre ended within seconds.
