Police have launched an investigation after Antônio Rocha de Sousa was fatally shot just 10 days after he shared a video of himself using a lighter to burn a copy of the Bible onto social media
A man who filmed himself setting fire to a Bible before uploading it to social media has been found shot dead. Antônio Rocha de Sousa was found dead on Wednesday, May 14, having suffered several gunshot wounds to his body.
Police are treating his death as murder. 10 days before being killed, Antônio shared a video of himself setting fire to a Bible on social media. in the clip, the 47-year-old used a lighter to burn the religious text, as reported by Need to Know. Speaking to the camera, he said: “This here is a Bible, which they say is sacred. Look what it does when faced with fire. It burns.
“To me, God doesn’t exist. This is just a way to enslave and manipulate people. If you haven’t woken up yet, it’s time to wake up. Look what this ‘sacred’ thing does in the face of fire. It’s time to wake up – God doesn’t exist.”
The authorities say Antônio was shot on a street in a rural part of Tianguá, west of Fortaleza, Brazil. But other reports say locals found his body in his home, where he lived alone, and called the police straight away.
Local police are investigating but still have no concrete leads regarding the perpetrators or the motive. A police spokesperson told local media: “We are looking into all possibilities.
“We’re not ruling out any lines of investigation, whether related to the video or to the other crimes he was involved in.” The authorities say Antônio has previous convictions for intentional bodily harm.
And they believe the Bible he set fire to was stolen. The police opened a case of theft, damage, and desecration of a religious object on 10 May.
In a statement, the Public Security Secretariat (SSP) reported that the victim had a criminal record for intentional bodily harm.
Teams from the Military Police (PMCE) and Forensic Expertise (Pefoce) were at the scene and carried out the initial investigations.
The last time Antônio was active on social media was the day before. He regularly posted videos of himself sharing his thoughts for his followers.
His bizarre bio said: “Follower of Christ, (peacekeeper of Peace). Born again in (Christ), among the living, who were once dead…after having been tested, tried, and approved by God.”
The case echoes that of Salwan Momika, who was shot dead in his flat in Södertälje, south-west of Stockholm, in January. The 38-year-old Iraqi had arrived in Sweden as a refugee in 2018 and repeatedly burnt Qurans in 2023.