Hang on tight.
Manager Jorge Nojikoski posted on social
media Friday morning announcing that ex-Professional Fighters League athlete Bruce Souto
had been shot Thursday reportedly following a disagreement
involving the sport of soccer. Per the manager, Souto was struck in
the buttocks by two of the six rounds fired by the shooter while
running away.
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Souto was rushed to the Joao XXIII Hospital in his home city of
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, where he has been treated and
is in stable condition. He is expected to be discharged soon and
his representatives have already posted on social media calling out
the alleged shooter.
Bruce is fine
A member of his team posted a statement on Souto’s Instagram Stories
after the shooting, where they confirmed his non-life-threatening
status in the hospital while declaring that they knew who the
shooter was. “Folks, Bruce is fine, thank God. He’s out of danger,” the post
wrote in Portuguese, as translated by Sherdog staff. “We are
thankful, from our hearts, to all the people who have been praying
and sending messages of support. This chain of faith has been very
important to us. We trust in the justice system and believe that
the responsible party will answer for everything he did. He won’t
go unpunished.”
The post continued, “The facts are clear: six shots were taken
against Bruce. There were about 100 people nearby. The perpetrator
acted without hiding his face, without any concern about hiding his
identity. Everyone present saw him, and many people there know him.
We are confident that the justice system will work as intended and
that this criminal will be arrested.”
Per Brazilian news outlet
O Tempo, Souto was shot during a soccer match between local
teams. A fan of the Cruzeiro Esporte Clube team in Belo Horizonte,
that team is rivals with Atletico Mineiro. To support his team of
Cruzeiro EC, he is a member of Mafia Azul, a fan club with
passionate supporters. On the other side of the equation, Atletico
Mineiro has its own fan support with a group called Torcida
Galoucura. It was suggested that it all came to a head after
debating who would be the new president of Mafia Azul, in which a
member of the Torcida Galoucura approached him.
The police report indicates that the shooter came up to Souto and
asked him, “Do you have a problem with me?” The suspect allegedly
drew a revolver and chased after Souto, firing it six times at the
fleeing athlete. Brazilian news site
Estado de Minas went on to state that Souto identified the
shooter to the police, a man whom he knows personally.
Is this democracy?
Another post was shared on Souto’s Instagram profile on Friday,
this one a hard
link rather than a Stories post that disappears over time. In
it, a member of Souto’s team claims the identity of the shooter,
while demanding justice.
“COWARD!” they alleged on his profile. “They just tried to take
Bruce’s life. The person responsible for this attack was ‘Vinicin’
Caveira from the Galoucura organized fan group. He fired several
shots at Bruce, hitting him twice. Let’s pray for his life and that
this thug, this criminal, is arrested and never gets out of jail
again, which is where this animal belongs.
“Is this democracy? Is this how someone should be treated for
expressing their opinion and defending what they believe in? Is
this the PRESIDENT YOU WANT TO SUPPORT? Enough of the violence.
Enough of the impunity. We hope that the authorities act quickly,
investigate all the facts and arrest this thug,” they concluded,
tagging a government organization and the local military police’s
profile.
News organization Record Minas
indicated in 2024 that the man known as “Vinicin” Caveira, born
Marcos Vinicius Oliveira de Melo, works as an “advisor” to local
politician Cesar Gordin. Gordin is also the owner of the Gordin
Fight Team, a gym in which Souto has since departed. “Vinicin”
holds a criminal record that includes a sentencing of 17 years
imprisonment in 2013 for his involvement in the death of soccer fan
Otavio Fernandes in 2010. Additionally, police reports have
indicated that “Vinicin” allegedly prevented another individual,
Lucas Elias Viera Silva, from receiving medical treatment after
being shot, in which the victim died shortly thereafter. Those
charges were dismissed.
Briefly speaking with Sherdog on Friday, sources close to the
situation provided an additional comment on the story.
“‘Vinicin’ Caveira was indeed responsible for those two previous
crimes [against the aforementioned Fernandes and Silva]. Caveira
has beef with Mafia Azul, which is the fan group that roots for the
Cruzeiro soccer team. Bruce Souto is a fan of Cruzeiro. Cruzeiro is
Atletico Mineiro’s biggest rival,” they explained.
The sources went on to reiterate that Souto’s condition is not
critical, but could not provide any further information as to his
expected release from the hospital. They could not confirm whether
Souto was running for the position of president of Mafia Azul, or
if he was just a member involved in the process. It has been
reported that military police have investigated the suspect’s
domicile, who has yet to be located.
The 37-year-old light heavyweight last set foot in a cage in March,
battling Lukasz
Olech in Polish promotion FEN and coming up short by decision.
He entered the major stage in 2022 when he appeared on the first
episode of PFL’s Challenger Series and scored a contract by
sparking Travis
Davis with a flying knee and follow-up punches. A pair of
appearances in the 2022 regular season did not go his way, as he
was matched against former or future tourney champs Rob
Wilkinson and Antonio
Carlos Jr., losing both.