Rome man shot after reacting when girlfriend was robbed.

A 25-year-old Rome man has died after being shot in the head during a robbery on a Rome street on the night of 23 October, on Via Teodoro Mommsen, near the Colli Albani metro station.

The man was reportedly walking with his girlfriend along the street at around 23.30 when two men came up behind them, hitting the woman on the head with a blunt object before stealing her backpack.

A violent scuffle broke out when the man reacted to the robbers who shot him in the head at close range, with what is believed to be a high-calibre revolver.

The bullet ended up inside the John Cabot pub across the street - packed with customers at the time - and is currently undergoing ballistic testing.

The man died the next day, 24 October, at S. Giovanni hospital.

The attackers, both of whom reportedly spoke with Roman accents, will be charged with murder if caught, police told Italian news agency ANSA.