Cargo Handler Who Was Found Shot in Jet Dies

A Los Angeles airport baggage handler who was found shot in an Alitalia jet’s cargo hold died Monday after nine days in a coma in a hospital, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Roman Soriano Vasquez, 28, was found on Nov. 9 with a single bullet wound in his head when cargo handlers at Milan’s Malpensa airport went to unload luggage aboard a flight that had just landed from Los Angeles. Soriano had been in what doctors described as an irreversible coma at Gallarate Hospital in Milan.

Authorities said Soriano was a Mexican citizen who worked for Dynair, a company hired by Alitalia to handle luggage at Los Angeles International Airport. Police said Soriano apparently shot himself inside the jet’s cargo hold in Los Angeles. A .38-caliber pistol was found at his side, and Italian authorities have said he probably attempted suicide. However, since several shots were fired inside the cargo hold, police said they could not rule out foul play. The case is still under investigation.