VICIOUS CYCLE

Pro Cyclist Suspended for Killing San Marino Minister’s Cat

The athlete said he was testing out an air rifle.

A professional cyclist has been suspended from his team and slapped with a fine after fatally shooting a minister’s cat in San Marino. Antonio Tiberi, 21, said he was testing out an air rifle when he aimed the weapon at the cat’s head and pulled the trigger. The Italian athlete’s victim belonged to his neighbor Federico Pedini Amati—San Marino’s Tourism and Posts Minister. Tiberi had only recently moved to the country. A court fined him $4,250 and his team, Trek-Segafredo, issued Tiberi a 20-day suspension over the incident. “The cat didn't bother anyone,” Pedini Amati told Corriere della Sera. “It had been with us for a long time. My three-year-old daughter Lucia loved it. You cannot kill a pet and get away with a 4,000-euro fine.” Trek-Segafredo said in a statement that it expects Tiberi to “take necessary steps to express his remorse and become a better person.”