
R.I.P. Ricardo dos Santos.

Ricardo dos Santos died last night. According to reports, he was shot three times yesterday morning and rushed by helicopter to the Archangel Regional Hospital of Saint Joseph, where he underwent emergency surgery to repair a perforated lung and kidney. After four surgeries and a massive call from Brazilians for blood donations, dos Santos passed away.
Shortly after the shooting, two suspects were taken into custody, one of which was a 25-year-old soldier in the military police, who is thought to be the shooter. The other was the soldier’s teenage brother. Reports are conflicting right now as to what exactly happened, but the initial story released was that dos Santos tried to stop a group that were doing drugs at Praia da Guarda do Embau, near Palhoca, and was shot in the stomach.
The other story is a little different: according to Diario Catarinense, the off-duty officer, who was vacationing in the Embau Guard in Palhoca, shot dos Santos in self-defense. He maintains that the surfer and another man “would have gone to him with a machete in what would be a discussion of the place where it was stopped with car.” This follows with other reports that dos Santos was working with his grandfather and two workers when the gunman parked his car over a pipe that was being used in the project. According to the story, when dos Santos asked them to move, he was shot.
The soldier, who works in the 8th Military Police Battalion in Joinville, told officials he was drunk, but denies using any drugs. According to Diario Catarinense, he agreed to a drug test. The results will be public in the next few days. Updates will be made available as the story develops.
Ricardo do Santos’s death is devastating. Known for his quick smile and love of his country, the 25-year-old goofy foot was one of the most talented tube-riders in the world. Our deepest condolences to Ricardo’s family and friends.