In a shocking incident, an elderly man beat his poor wife to death in broad daylight on a busy street in Shouzhou, Shanxi province in China last October 31.

Photos and videos of the incident have spread like wildfire on the social media platform Weibo.

The ‘bystander apathy’ of those present during the scene sparked outrage online.

Some videos show at least four bystanders merely looking while the husband hits his wife with a metal stool. However, no one bothered to intervene to break the fight between the elderly couple, which could have saved the woman’s life.

According to an article on What’s on Weibo, the man also stabbed his wife with a farming pitchfork as she lies motionless on the pavement. (VIDEO: Warning for graphic content)

The report said the incident stemmed from a minor accident between the elderly man’s electric car and another vehicle. He reportedly tried to escape, but he was held back by his wife.

The man then started to shout at her and it quickly escalated into an argument. He pushed her to the ground and started beating her with a brick, a metal stool, and then attacked her with a pitchfork leading to her death.

Per a separate report of Reuters, state media confirmed that the woman was killed on Saturday morning.

“The suspect is in the custody of public security organs, and the case is being fully investigated,” police said.