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‘Shot them all in self-defence’: Clips capture horror of Lucknow triple murder
Videos show the accused purportedly gunning down 3 of a family before pacing the street with a pistol; shooter claims he was beaten with bricks first
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LUCKNOW Days after three men from the same family were gunned down in broad daylight in Saadatganj, two chilling videos capturing the live execution and its chaotic aftermath surfaced on social media on Thursday, sending shockwaves across the city.
In the clips, each over two minutes long, the accused, 29-year-old Rishabh Shukla, is purportedly seen opening fire on the three victims one after another amid panicked screams, before pacing the street with a pistol in hand and repeatedly shouting: “I shot them all… in self-defence.”
The triple murder took place around 10:30 am on October 24 in Naubasta’s Brahman Tola locality. The victims — Shivendra Tiwari alias Shambhu, his elder brother Shivaji (Shiva) Tiwari and nephew Suyash Tiwari — died after a long-standing dispute over parking on vacant land and building a platform around a banyan tree turned fatal.
The first video captures the exact moment the confrontation turned deadly. Shukla, dressed in a white T-shirt and shorts, is purportedly seen shooting Shambhu first, before turning his weapon on Shiva and his son Suyash. One of the injured victims is seen collapsed near a black car, pleading for help, while background voices allege the men were being beaten with sticks.
In the second clip, showing the immediate aftermath, an agitated Shukla walks around the crime scene still holding the pistol as locals gather around the bleeding victims. Gesturing angrily, he repeatedly claims he was attacked first. “They beat me with bricks,” he is heard shouting to justify the killings as an act of self-defence.
The emergence of the videos has brought renewed attention to the dispute that preceded the shooting. According to sources, the confrontation also involved the recording of videos by both sides, with the dispute reportedly escalating around the act of filming each other.
The videos appear to capture crucial moments of the confrontation and its immediate aftermath. However, the circumstances leading up to the firing, including the sequence of events and the accused’s self-defence claim, will need to be established through the police investigation.
Police had allegedly advised the Tiwari family to record videos if they faced any trouble or felt threatened. Sources said the family was also recording the events, and footage shot by people present at the spot has now surfaced online.
According to the FIR, the accused allegedly surrounded Shivendra Tiwari alias Shambhu, his elder brother Shivaji Tiwari and nephew Suyash Tiwari, abused them, attacked them with sticks and stones before shooting them. All three died in the incident. Shukla was arrested at the scene, according to police.
A separate video circulating on social media shows the accused being apprehended by police following the killings.
