An evil cop felled his wife in a hail of bullets as she begged for mercy on her knees.

He also shot her two young daughters, killing one and putting the other in hospital.

Teacher Elaine Barbosa de Sousa was riddled with bullets by her husband at their home in Rio Verde, Brazil, on Wednesday night (14th December).

According to Civil Police chief Adelson Candeo, the mother of two was shot while on her knees trying to shield herself.

He told local media: “During the argument, she was on her knees or crouching, because all the shots that hit her went through her and then hit the floor.

“Either she asked him to drop the weapon and not do anything stupid or he put her in an execution position.”

The gunman – Military Police officer Rafael Martins Mendonca – also shot Elaine’s daughters, aged three and five. The youngest, Agatha Maria de Sousa, died instantly.

Paramedics took Agatha’s older sister to hospital, where she underwent surgery. She was still in hospital at the time of reporting but was not at risk of death.

In a statement, the Military Police expressed regret over the incident, and offered support to the victims’ family.

The force added that Mendonca was off duty at the time and had not used his service weapon to commit the crime.

The harrowing crime was discovered when Mendonca called a friend and told him he had done something stupid and was going to kill himself.

He was arrested and taken to prison, where he remained at the time of reporting.

Civil Police are investigating the case, and Military Police will conduct an internal inquiry.

Civil Police said Mendonca had been taken off the beat and assigned administrative tasks due to mental health problems.

Candeo told how eight bullets hit Elaine, while five hit Agatha. He added that there were clear indications that the mother had tried to defend herself.

He told local media: “As he [Mendonca] reported that there was a fight, she was probably on her knees asking him to stop shooting.

“Most likely, when he started shooting, she raised her arm and received several shots in the arm. These are clearly defensive injuries.”

He continued: “When a person is standing up and you shoot, the shots pass through the body and hit the wall.

“In her case, all the shots were on the floor. She received eight shots and the eight projectiles went through her body and to the floor.”