PEOPLE LOOK AT FLOWERS LAID IN MEMORY OF SHOPKEEPER KILLED IN MILAN, 1999-01-25 (photo)

TO GO WITH STORY ITALY MILAN CRIME - Passersby look at flowers laid in memory of slain shopkeeper Ottavio Capalbo January 13, one of the latest victims of a brutal crime wave that has shaken Italys' financial capital. Ottavio Capalbo was ringing up lottery bets in his bustling Milan bar when two masked gunmen stormed in and demanded the takings. The young bar owner recognised their voices and lunged to rip off their masks but was shot in the face and died instantly. A common enough crime in any city, but Capalbo's murder was a turning point for many Milanese fed up with soaring crime. The 34-year-old's killing was one of nine in the first days of the year. Sign reads "Ottavio, forever in our hearts. PC/GB