A father shot his own son to dead in the street in front of a young child as he tried to protect his mother, shows a horrifying video footage published by several news organisations on Saturday.

The footage displays a man pulls what appears to be a gun from beneath his clothing and apparently fires it several times towards another man in an Egyptian city, reports The Mirror.

The victims falls to the floor and the attacker continues to fire at the man and other members of the group before running away.

A group of people can be seen arguing close to homes and shops at the beginning of the video Panic ensues as the man on the ground stops moving and passers-by rush to help.

A young child witnesses the entire horrific ordeal and initially seems too scared to move as he doesn’t run away until a long time after the first shots are fired.

Throughout the attack the other adults form a human shield around the child to ensure he is not shot.

The man falls to the floor after apparently being shot and panic ensues as he stops moving

According to reports in local media, the attack took place Manfalut, close to the city of Asyut or Assiut in Egypt, and the man who was shot was trying to protect his mother from his father during a row.

The footage was reportedly captured by a security camera at a nearby shop.

It is believed the 65-year-old father, who works as a farmer, has been arrested and charged with his son’s murder.