Rede-TVDistressing surveillance footage has captured the moment a homeless woman was shot dead by a passerby as she as begged for 18 pence.
The callous killing, which was aired on television in Brazil, shows Zilda Henrique dos Santos Leandro approaching a man on Rua Barao de Amazonas in central Rio De Janeiro on Saturday, talking to him as he walks past, reportedly asking him for 1 real, which is the equivalent of 18 pence.
The man continues walking away as the 31-year-old woman, who is known as Neia to locals, follows him. Later identified as Aderbal Ramos, the man stops and pulls a handgun from his waistband and shoots Henrique at least twice as she attempts to run away from him.
Warning, this video contains distressing scenes:
Henrique falls in the middle of the road and Ramos simply tucks the gun back into his belt and walks away.
A passerby then stops to help the woman who is lying motionless on the floor.
Henrique was later rushed to Azevedo Lima State Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to Brazilian television channel Rede-TV.
The shocking incident took place in the early hours of Saturday morning, November 16.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is also a former army capital, signed a decree in May which enabled a wide number of people, including truckers and politicians, to carry weapons without having to prove why they needed them.
Rede-TVIt was later watered down by lawmakers in the country, who voted in favour of only giving a limited number of people, including hunters – not millions of ordinary Brazilian residents – to buy and carry guns on the street.
The new version of the bill has to approved by Brazil’s Upper House before it becomes law.
Brazil already has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.