[Maelstrom]

I think the woman was driving and tried to ram or run the checkpoint.

I think Cipriani was shot trying to grab the steering wheel.

[Fedora]

Interesting line of thought. That might place him in the line of fire. But then the soldiers would've found Sgrena and Calipari in the front seat after the shooting, right? When I search and try to find where they were sitting, everything I'm finding says they were in the back seat. Now what that's based on I don't know--whether it's her word or one of the other witnesses. There seem to be some major discrepancies in the eyewitness testimony--this one is especially interesting:

Story of Italian Hostage's Release Unclear

How many people were wounded? The Americans said two civilians: Sgrena and an intelligence agent. Italian authorities said two agents were wounded besides Sgrena. Italian military officials declined to clear up the discrepancy and Berlusconi's office did not respond to a request for information.