US Army veteran and gang member-turned music producer is shot dead by ‘former rivals’ in hail of bullets while recording music video
A US Army veteran turned gang member turned music producer has been shot dead in a hail of bullets by “former rivals” while filming a music video.
David Beckhauser Santos Herold, 34, was reportedly shot 32 times in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Mr. Beckhauser Santos Herold was a former United States Army soldier who served between 2008 and 2013, during which time he saw action in Afghanistan.
Known as ‘The American’, he then turned to a life of crime and was embroiled in an ongoing gang feud.
He was previously sentenced to 16 years in prison for the death of drug dealer Thiago Polucena de Oliveira on March 26, 2014 during a battle for control of the drug distribution area.
David Beckhauser Santos Herold, 34, was reportedly shot 32 times in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Mr. Beckhauser Santos Herold was a former United States Army soldier who served between 2008 and 2013, during which time he saw action in Afghanistan
Known as ‘The American’, he then turned to a life of crime and was embroiled in an ongoing gang feud. He was previously sentenced to 16 years in prison for the death of drug dealer Thiago Polucena de Oliveira on March 26, 2014
As of October 2023, he served the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Local media reported that he was shot by rivals on Wednesday evening while shooting a video for 20-year-old singer Bernardo Soares da Rosa, known as ‘Boladin 211’ in the northern part of Sao Paulo.
Gunmen reportedly arrived and fired 60 shots at the US military, with 32 bullets hitting him.
The murder conviction of the victim from a previous factional war with rival gangs meant he was still wanted by police, local media reported.
After the fatal shooting, he was rushed to hospital but did not survive.
Investigators believe he was killed as a result of the ongoing feud between criminal factions. According to local media reports, Mr. Beckhauser Santos Herold was affiliated with a faction in Santa Catarina, a state in southern Brazil, where he was born and lived after returning from the United States.
The investigation into the fatal shooting is still ongoing.