A young Brazilian footballer, Micael Leandro da Silva has died after being struck by a stray bullet shortly after finishing an amateur football match.
Police believe the incident happened during a reported shooting involving rival drug trafficking gangs. Investigators said the teenager had no criminal record and no known links to criminal activity.
Micael had just completed a tournament and was changing his clothes when he was hit in the back.
He was taken to the State General Hospital for treatment but later d!ed from his injuries. One other person was also struck during the incident and survived.
Micael had been progressing through Brazil’s youth football system. He previously played for the Under-15 team of Centro Sportivo Alagoano (CSA) in Maceió and also trained in the youth academy of São Paulo Futebol Clube before leaving earlier this year.
He had recently been preparing to continue his football development with lower-division side Retrô FC Brasil.
His father, Marcos Antonio Leandro, said the family had been left devastated by the incident.
“My family has been torn apart by two criminals who came and sh0t my son in the back. The match had just finished and he was getting changed, so he had no chance to run. I’m devastated. His siblings haven’t stopped crying,” he said.
