Realising he’s doomed, father calmly hands daughter to safety – and faces his executioner
IN chilling scenes, a father gives his infant daughter to a companion after realising he is about to be assassinated.
He calmly turns to a woman thought to be his wife or a nanny to whisper his final words before passing the child over and kneeling on the ground, apparently accepting his fate. CCTV footage of the execution begins with 46- year- old lawyer Andre Ribeiro parking his car on a street in Permambuco state in north-eastern Brazil.
He makes his way to the other side of the car to open the rear door and take his child so the woman can climb out, little realising these are their last seconds together. A moment later, as they stand by the car, the gunman dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and baseball cap runs up from behind, pointing a handgun at him.
Holding his daughter, Mr Ribeiro calmly assesses the situation before giving her to the woman, who walks away as the girl looks back. Resigned to his death, Mr Ribeiro takes a few steps and kneels before the hitman fires five bullets into him at point-blank range, killing him instantly while the woman and child are yards away.
The gunman then fled, leaving the woman and girl unhurt. The motive for the execution remains unclear, police said.