Bloody aftermath to Rome soccer riots

ROME, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Weekend soccer riots in Rome injured at least 40 police officers as an investigation was launched Monday into a fan's shooting death by a policeman.

An estimated 500 fans attacked three police stations and the headquarters of the Italian Olympic Committee on Sunday, resulting in three arrests, the ANSA new agency reported.

The violence was spawned by the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old fan at a highway rest stop, which Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato called "a tragic mistake."

Italian media reported the unidentified policeman may have shot at the car because he thought it was being used to make a getaway after a robbery.

Three soccer matches were called off as a result of violence: the Roma-Cagliari game in Rome, the Atalanta-Milan matches in Bergamo and a Series B match in Taranto.