Fact Check: Viral Clip Of Fatal Shooting From Brazil Shared As Incident From UP's Muzaffarnagar
Fact Check: A viral video depicting a fatal shooting incident has been shared on social media claiming it to be from UP's Muzaffarnagar but is actually from Brazil.
The Verdict [False]
The shooting incident occurred in Novo Aleixo, Brazil, and not in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar. The victim has been identified as Lucas Rodrigues.
(Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised. Logically Facts has refrained from including links to the video due to its disturbing nature.)
What is the claim?
A graphic video circulating on social media purportedly depicts a man being shot multiple times in Muzaffarnagar district in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The 14-second clip shows a man standing on a table being shot four times before falling off. He is then shot repeatedly while on the ground, presumably killing him.
One X (formerly Twitter) user shared the video with the caption: "Murder filmed in a cinematic style is going viral on social media. The incident reportedly occurred in Muzaffarnagar district (translated from Hindi)." At the time of publication, this post had garnered over 31,500 views.
However, our investigation reveals that the video originates from Brazil, not Muzaffarnagar, India.
What are the facts?
A reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video led to several X posts from June 30, 2024, featuring the same footage. Most were accompanied by Portuguese captions stating the incident occurred in Novo Aleixo, a neighborhood in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, Brazil.
One X user posted the video with the caption: "CRAZY! Criminal records video murdering a man known as 'Olhão' in the Novo Aleixo neighborhood, in Manaus (translated from Portuguese)."
Further research uncovered several news reports about the incident. According to one report, which included screenshots from the viral video, the footage was published on social media about an hour after the incident and attributed to the criminal faction Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). The victim, identified as Lucas Figueiredo Rodrigues, alias 'Olhão,' was killed while working at a property in the Novo Alexio neighborhood in the north of the capital Amazonas.
A report by Diario Manauara, a Manaus-based news outlet, stated that the incident occurred on June 28, 2024. An unidentified gunman entered the premises, shot Rodrigues multiple times while recording the act, and fled on a motorcycle with an accomplice. The police were unable to identify the assailants, and the Specialized Homicide and Kidnapping Unit (DEHS) is investigating the murder, the report noted.
Reports also indicated that Rodrigues had a history of drug trafficking and was a member of Comando Vermelho, a Brazilian criminal organization.
Additionally, we found a statement from the official X account of Muzaffarnagar Police (archived here) clarifying that the video is not related to Muzaffarnagar. The police statement added that legal action is being taken against the person who shared the video.
The verdict
The viral video of the shooting incident is not from Uttar Pradesh but from Manaus, Brazil. The victim has been identified as Lucas Figueiredo Rodrigues, who, according to news reports, was associated with drug trafficking.
(This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. ABP Live has edited the headline and feature image of the report while republishing)
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