A partying police officer allegedly shot a man because he’d looked at his girlfriend.
CCTV footage shows how the off-duty copper gave him a violent push before wagging his finger in his face.
After receiving a shove to the chest, the local man decided he had had enough.
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He punched the policeman twice, causing him to stumble backwards.
But as he was about to land a flying kick on him, a flash was seen and he fell to the ground.
He could be seen picking himself up and stumbling around before the end of the footage.
Local media say Luiz Alberto Braga de Queiroz had waited for beach vendor Emmanuel Apory at the door to the men’s toilets.
Partygoers claim the police chief was furious because Apory had “looked” at the woman he was with.
Queiroz shot the 25-year-old with his revolver, hitting him in the leg in the early hours of Monday (5 May).
After limping away, Apory was taken to a local hospital in Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha archipelago.
He was flown to a larger facility in Recife on Monday afternoon after Queiroz had already left the island.
He underwent surgery and his condition is said to be stable, as reported by Need To Know.
Apory lives in Fernando de Noronha, where he makes a living by renting out umbrellas at the beach.
His mother told local media: “He met the woman on Saturday at a gym… and they kept chatting there until my son went home.
“When he got to the venue on Sunday, she was with the police chief, but he avoided greeting her to prevent any kind of jealousy.
“The thing is, on Saturday night, she’d been with one of his friends at a party. So I think the officer assumed it was my son.”
The Pernambuco State Police Chiefs’ Association has expressed support for Queiroz.
It said he acted in “self-defence in response to unprovoked aggression” after “persistent bothering and following of his partner”.
It added that Apory knew he was armed when he “launched a violent physical attack, seemingly trying to take his weapon”.
Queiroz was reportedly sober at the time and handed himself into the local police after the run-in.
He has been suspended from work and his revolver has been seized as part of the ongoing investigation.
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