Three women including a friend of Italy’s new prime minister were killed when a man opened fire at a cafe in Rome, injuring four other people, writes BBC.

Those inside were meeting as part of a local block’s residents’ committee.

Roberto Gualtieri, mayor of Rome, described the shooting as a “grave episode of violence” and said he would attend an emergency meeting on Monday.

A suspect, 57, is in custody. He has a history of disputes with some of the committee"s board, reports say.

Luciana Ciorba, the committee’s vice-president, was at the cafe in the Fidene district, Italy"s La Repubblica newspaper reports. She said the gunman had entered the bar on Sunday shouting “I’ll kill you all’ before using his pistol. He was reportedly overpowered by other residents before being detained by police.

Of those people injured, believed to be two women and two men, one remains in a serious condition.