Francisco Erasmo Rodrigues de Lima

Francisco Erasmo Rodrigues de Lima (São Paulo, September 24, 1953 – São Paulo, outside the Cathedral of São Paulo, September 4, 2015) was a Brazilian homeless man known for his intervention to save a hostage held at gunpoint.

Cathedral incident

On 4 September 2015, Rodrigues de Lima was near the Cathedral of São Paulo when he witnessed a hostage situation. Luiz Antonio da Silva, the robber, had taken an unidentified woman hostage and held her for over an hour. During the incident, Rodrigues de Lima intervened and confronted the robber. The moment of the intervention was broadcast on live television, which showed Rodrigues de Lima confronting da Silva and knocking him to the ground, allowing the woman to get to safety.

Following his intervention, Rodrigues de Lima was shot at close range by the robber immediately after allowing the woman to escape. The police later intervened, killing the robber with a volley of bullets as passers-by watched. The incident triggered an investigation into whether Rodrigues de Lima had also been hit by bullets fired by the police.

Details of the incident

According to local reports, the gunman had recently completed a 22-year prison sentence for crimes including robbery, drug trafficking, theft, and assault. The incident was triggered by a failed attempt to rob the woman.