A British holidaymaker whose Brazilian fiancée was gunned down in a hotel lobby amid a horrific robbery gone wrong has told how he desperately tried to shield her from the oncoming bullets and that he may now never walk again.
Philip Donald Eric Gray, 38, has been told by doctors that he could be left disabled after a bullet hit his spine, while his 46-year-old girlfriend Ruth Mary Silva de Oliveira Ribeiro was killed on the spot.
HOW HE TRIED
Speaking of the horrific ordeal, he said: ‘(The robber) got a shot off and missed so he fired a second shot and missed, and he then took aim at Mary and I dived in front of her. I grabbed Mary and wrapped my arms around her to protect her.
‘I know that I put my life on the line but I wanted to protect her because I loved her.’
HOW IT HAPPENED
The couple were seen on CCTV checking out of their beachside hotel in Praia do Cumbuco, Brazil, on Monday afternoon, and were set to travel to Mary’s hometown of Macapa, where they planned to wed.
But their dream was cruelly shattered when a would-be robber burst into the hotel lobby and demanded they hand over the cash they had in a bag.
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The crash-helmeted crook grabbed Brazilian national Mary, who is a mother of three and has a young grandson, and tried to pull her away, prompting Philip to dive into action.
The trio became locked in a bitter struggle which spilt out into the hotel gardens where the robber pulled out a gun and fired a flurry of shots at his victims.
Philip sustained three gunshot wounds, but was forced to watch as his girlfriend lay dying mere feet away as their assailant fled.
