Benito Mussolini died on April 28, 1945. He and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, were captured by Italian communist partisans near the village of Dongo on Lake Como while attempting to flee to Switzerland. They were executed by a firing squad the following afternoon. Mussolini was shot in the chest at approximately 4:10 pm. The first shot from a submachine gun jammed, but a second shot fired by the partisan Walter Audisio hit Mussolini, causing fatal wounds. Mussolini did not wear a blindfold and reportedly shouted "No! No!" before being killed. Petacci was also shot multiple times as she tried to shield Mussolini
. Post-mortem examinations found Mussolini had been hit by seven to nine bullets, with four near the heart causing death. His body was later displayed publicly in Milan, hung upside down in a brutal spectacle of vengeance. Afterward, the bodies were taken for autopsies and eventually buried in an unmarked grave to prevent his grave from becoming a fascist shrine
. Thus, Mussolini died by execution by firing squad carried out by Italian partisans in the final days of World War II in Europe
