SÃO JOSÉ DO BELMONTE, BRAZIL – A dramatic scene unfolded in a Brazilian courtroom as a man attending the trial of his father’s alleged murderer took justice into his own hands. The man, identified as 27-year-old Cristiano Alves Terto, disrupted the court proceedings by opening fire on the defendant, Franscico Cleidivaldo Mariano de Moura, 38, and physically assaulting him.
The shocking incident, captured on courtroom CCTV, shows the moment Terto fired six shots at Moura, causing the judges and jury to scramble for safety. It is currently unknown how Terto managed to smuggle a .38-caliber revolver into the courtroom. The attack took place on November 29, 2023, but the video was only released by the police on April 1, 2024.
Terto pursued Moura across the room, continuing his assault by striking the defendant in the head. On-site police officers intervened, chasing Terto out of the room and subsequently arresting him on suspicion of attempted murder.
Despite the violent assault, Moura survived and was transported to a local hospital before being moved to a larger facility for further treatment. He has since been released, according to reports.
Moura is on trial for the murder of Francisco Alves, which occurred on October 5, 2012. Moura confessed to the crime, stating that he had encountered Alves while searching for a lost donkey. According to Moura, Alves had treated him with hostility, which escalated to a physical confrontation, leading Moura to shoot Alves in self-defense.
After the shooting, Moura fled to Salguiero, a city in northern Brazil, where he evaded capture for over a decade before being arrested. Following his release from the hospital, no retrial date has been set, and Terto has remained in custody since the day after his courtroom attack.