Leandro Mathias de Novaes, aged 40, tragically passed away last Monday, February 6th, after the gun he was carrying was discharged due to the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine present at Laboratorio Cura in Sao Paulo.
Prior to entering the facility, Mathias had been instructed to leave all metallic objects behind. Yet, he still brought his weapon with him, as he was accompanying his mother for her appointment.
The MRI machine’s magnetic field caused the gun to become attracted to it, resulting in a single shot from his waistband.
MRI scans are commonly used to detect damage to organs and tissues that X-rays are not able to identify, as the Mayo Clinic explains, due to its utilization of a magnetic field and radio waves that are generated by computers.
Following the shooting, Mathias was immediately taken to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries. This was reported by both CNN Brazil and Folha De S.Paulo, and was also confirmed by the Order of Attorneys of Brazil in Cotia.
The spokesperson for Laboratorio Cura stated that all safety protocols and procedures were followed, and that Mathias and his mother had been warned to take any metallic objects off of their persons before entering. Additionally, they both signed forms regarding the facility’s in-office protocols.
Mathias had a TikTok account with 8,000 followers, and his videos had received around 50,000 likes in total. The police also confirmed that the gun involved in the incident belonged to Mathias.