Man Dies After Sneaking Loaded Firearm Into MRI Room

(Image: Gobierno Abierto/Wikimedia Commons)When medical professionals offer instruction before a procedure, they’re usually doing so for a reason. That was apparently lost on Leandro Mathias de Novaes, who ignored an MRI lab’s “no metal” rule and brought a loaded firearm to his mother’s appointment. The firearm discharged, resulting in de Novaes’ death.

On Jan. 18, 40-year-old de Novaes accompanied his mother to a São Paulo, Brazil diagnostic center, where she was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam. Staff at the diagnostic center asked de Novaes and his mother to remove any and all metal from their bodies prior to entering the room where the MRI machine was housed. de Novaes ignored this rule and entered the room with a loaded firearm concealed in his waistband.

When the MRI machine was switched on, the device’s powerful magnetic field pulled the gun from his waistband, causing the gun to discharge. The bullet entered de Novaes’ stomach. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries on Feb. 6, according to CNN Brasil.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machines use strong magnetic fields to temporarily realign protons in the patient’s body. Computer-generated radio frequencies are then pulsed through the patient, stimulating those protons and causing them to strain against the MRI’s magnetic force. Once the radio frequencies are shut off, the protons return to their original state, releasing energy in the process. The machine reads these energy releases to create images of the patient’s internal organs, skeleton, and other body parts.

This is to say there’s no MRI without a strong magnetic field, which is why metal isn’t permitted in the MRI room. Staff routinely ask patients to remove jewelry, accessibility devices, and all other wearables containing metal prior to entering a space where MRIs are performed. Not only does this ensure the diagnostic process goes smoothly, but it’s for the patient’s own safety, as the MRI’s magnetic field tugs on anything that contains metal. Imagine how this would feel with something as innocuous as a body piercing—and then add a loaded gun to the mix.

de Novaes is said to have been a fierce pro-gun advocate, having published TikTok videos about gun use and concealment for 8,000 followers prior to his death. (His account, @leandromathias_adv, appears to have been taken down posthumously.) This may explain why de Novaes insisted on taking a firearm into his mother’s MRI appointment, but ultimately it doesn’t matter; the MRI doesn’t care what someone’s motive is for disobeying staff instructions, as we now know.

Now Read: