A man suspected of trying to rob a cell phone store in Brazil was shot several times by a worker seconds after entering.
The alleged robber entered the store wearing a motorcycle helmet and appeared to pull out a gun.
He immediately approached a seated employee before a worker across the room pulled out his own gun and shot him multiple times.
The alleged thief collapsed to the ground while the other workers ducked for cover.
He was reportedly rushed to hospital in “very serious condition” and the worker was taken to a nearby police station to give a statement before being released.
A man suspected of trying to rob a cell phone store in Brazil was shot several times by a worker seconds after entering
The incident was caught on CCTV and the suspect is seen entering the cell phone store.
He holds what appears to be a firearm as he approaches an employee at her desk.
The alleged thief takes a couple more steps before a worker pulls out his gun and fires several shots at him.
He then stumbles backwards before finally falling to the ground where he remains still.
While the other three employees run and duck for cover amidst the gunshots.
The alleged thief was rushed to hospital in “very serious condition.”
The employee who shot him reportedly made a statement at a nearby police station before being released without charge.
It is unclear in which city or which store the shooting took place.
Gun laws in Brazil were relaxed during President Jair Bolsonaro’s term from 2019 to 2022.
He said “good citizens” should have the right to protect their families and property, and relaxed rules on gun and ammunition ownership.
The alleged robber entered the store wearing a motorcycle helmet and appeared to pull out a gun.
He walked toward a seated employee before a worker pulled out his own firearm and shot him several times.
Although Brazil has no constitutional right to bear arms, Bolsonaro argued that “an armed population will never be enslaved.”
But in July 2023, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree that tightened restrictions on civilian access to weapons.
Estimates of the number of guns in civilian hands tripled to 2.9 million in a country of 214 million people, according to the Sou da Paz Institute, a nonprofit that monitors public safety.
That figure is still much lower than in the United States, and despite the increase in guns, Brazil’s murder rate remained stable during Bolsonaro’s term.
The number of homicides during his last year in office, 2022, was about 47,500 and roughly the same as the 2019 rate, according to a report by the Brazilian Public Security Forum.