Femicide caught on camera: Brazilian military police officer fatally shoots wife twice in public argument

A Brazilian military police officer was captured on video fatally shooting his wife after punching her five times in the face during an argument that erupted outside their vehicle, according to foreign news reports.

The video depicts the off-duty Brazilian soldier, Thiago de Lima, 36, purportedly shoot his wife, Erika de Lima, 33, twice as the two argued on the street on Sunday.

The soldier’s wife collapsed to the ground after her body was penetrated with bullets.

According to CNN Brazil, the couple wedded six months ago when suddenly the two erupted into a hostile argument depicting Erika trying to remove Thiago from their car.

After the two argued for a while, Thiago got out of the car of his own volition and began physically attacking his former bride.

After Erika collapsed to the ground, the Brazilian soldier initially did nothing to help her and instead got back into the driver’s seat and drove away. Then, after some apparent hesitation, as nearby residents came out of their homes, purportedly to investigate the sounds of gunfire, he returned and tried to get his wife into the car.

Thiago took Erika to a nearby hospital, but efforts to save the 33-year-old were futile. She was quickly pronounced dead on arrival, according to Brazilian outlet G1.

The Brazilian soldiers has since been detained by law enforcement agents, and he is facing charges of “femicide,” a type of homicide charge filed in Latin American countries when a killing is tied to domestic and family violence and/disregard or discrimination against women.

While the shooting came as a shock to nearby residents, it did not surprise police as they began investigating what led to the fatal argument.

According to Brazilian police records, Erika reportedly filed a police report over a domestic violence just a month before the shooting, but ultimately decided not to file criminal charges against Thiago.

The reports suggest that Erika told police her husband got hostile with her because he became jealous after the two left a nightclub they had visited. Once they got home, Erika said Thiago drew a firearm and pointed it at her head as if to suggest he could kill her, G1 reported. 

According to police reports, Thiago denied the incident, and insisted he did not point the gun at her or threatening her.

Erika is not the only alleged victim in the case. Reports indicate the 33-year-old was a mother of two daughters from a past relationship. Little is known about who has custody of the children.