Amazonian tribe kill indigenous expert with arrow to the heart as he approached them

Rieli Franciscato worked tirelessly to protect indigenous tribes. Photo: Facebook.

An indigenous rights expert was fatally shot in the chest by an arrow as he approached a tribe. Rieli Franciscato attempted in vain to shelter behind a vehicle as he and police officers came under fire. According to a police officer who witnessed the killing the 56-year-old pulled out the arrow, which had hit him in the heart. The Brazilian man ran 50m before collapsing and dying. Mr Franciscato had been working in the remote region of Rondônia state in north-western Brazil where he was monitoring a tribe as part of his work for the government's indigenous agency Funai.

He was an expert in the field, having helped set up Kaninde Ethno-Environmental Defence Association in the 1980s to fight for indigenous rights. A colleague at the group said the tribe were unable to distinguish between friend and foe. A policeman who witnessed the incident said in a recording posted on social media: "He cried out, pulled the arrow from his chest, ran 50m (164ft) and collapsed, lifeless."