An off-duty police officer was buying medicine with his wife and child at a drug store in São Paulo, Brazil when the two men, wearing hoods and waiving guns ran in. The moment was captured on video and is the stuff of legends.
This the scenario every parent in law enforcement fears most. Law enforcement agencies don’t talk about it in detail and some don’t even train one handed shooting at all. As concealed carry spreads across the U.S., more civilians are carrying legally and struggling to deal with the issue of protecting family members with firearms.
An armed robbery is not much different than an active shooter. Rafael Souza was holding his child in one arm when one of the robbers pointed a weapon at Souza and the child. Unlike most cooperative victims, Souza was legally armed. With no time to put the child down and an immediate threat, there were only two choices, take action and eliminate the threat or freeze like prey and hope for the best.
The surveillance camera footage shows the results. Souza disappears from the frame while his wife takes cover. This looks like a pre-planned family defense drill, but it may have been good luck. In an amazing display of agility and situational awareness, Souza shoots both attackers and hands the child over to his wife.
Paramedics pronounced both robbers dead at the scene. No one else was injured.
The city of São Paulo has a lot of crime and a lot of guns. Sergeant Souza is a soldier in the 49th Metropolitan Battalion. Brazilian military police are active in the local law enforcement taking a bite out of crime and unlike their U.S. counterparts, they carry off duty. Criminals target the police and their families making armed response a necessity.
Souza told investigators that he believed the robbers would have shot him if he identified himself as a police officer. He rapidly determined that his best course of action was to shoot first. Forensics examiners are reviewing the evidence and the surveillance footage supports Souza’s story.
This is a great example of a good guy under immense pressure making good decisions and acting decisively. He was well trained and aggressive. He is alive as are all the people in the drug store and the members of his family.
Here’s a short video shared by Tactical Baby Gear that discusses training for active shooter scenarios with your children in tow:
A post shared by TacticalBabyGear® (@tacticalbabygear) on
