Man dies after he’s shot by his own gun that was triggered by MRI machine, officials say
A Brazilian lawyer and gun advocate has reportedly died after being shot by his own gun he brought into an MRI room.
Leandro Mathias de Novaes, 40, accompanied his mother to a São Paulo, Brazil, diagnostic center for an MRI scan on Jan. 18, according to CNN Brazil.
Medical staff asked Novaes and his mother to remove all metal from their bodies, CNN reported, as is protocol when entering an MRI room because of the machine’s strong magnetic pull.
Novaes did not disclose that he was carrying a concealed weapon, and when the machine began to run, the gun was pulled out of his waistband, causing it to fire into his stomach, Jam Press reports in The New York Post.
He was rushed to the São Luiz Morumbi Hospital, where he died Feb. 6, according to CNN.
Laboratorio Cura, the location of the shooting, told Jam Press that it had followed protocol to prevent accidents in their facility.
“Both the patient and his companion were properly instructed regarding the procedures for accessing the examination room and warned about the removal of any and all metallic objects,” the lab said in a statement.
But despite warnings, the lab told Jam Press “the firearm was not mentioned by the companion, who entered the examination room with the object by his decision.”
Brazil Civil Police said Novaes signed a form recognizing all metal must be absent from the MRI room, according to CNN.
In a message to Jam Press, the Order of Attorneys of Brazil in Cotia said “it is with deep regret that OAB Cotia communicates to all fellow lawyers the unexpected loss of our dear friend and lawyer Dr. Leandro Mathias de Novaes.”
Police confirmed to Jam Press the gun was registered and Novaes had a license to carry the weapon.
The lawyer was known on social media for his pro-gun rhetoric, and CNN reports he was a supporter of Jaire Bolsonaro, a pro-gun former president of Brazil.
On his TikTok, Noveas responded to legal questions like “How much will I spend on a lawyer if I use my gun in self-defense?” and “Even the guy breaking down the gate of your house, he can’t shoot?”
His most recent video on Jan. 13 prompted a TikTok content warning that said “Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt.”
The question he was answering?
“What do I do if I get caught with a CAC loaded gun?”
This isn’t the first death from a freak accident with an MRI machine.
In 2018, the Indian Express reported a 32-year-old man who had been sucked into an MRI chamber while he was holding a metal oxygen tank.
The man was holding the tank for his sister’s mother-in-law when he brought it into the MRI room while the machine was running. He was sucked into the machine and his hand got stuck. The oxygen tank opened causing his lungs to flood with air, according to the Indian Express. He later died from his injuries.
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