Rickson Falcão narrowly survived a Saquarema shooting. Photo: Thiago Diz//WSL
Rickson Falcão, a 19-year-old professional surfer, was shot four times in his hometown of Saquarema, Brazil, according to reports in the Brazilian media outlet Globo. Falcão, an ISA junior bronze medalist who also finished fifth at last year’s WSL junior championships, was caught in a drive-by shooting at a restaurant on October 9.
The bullets grazed his back and hit him in the right foot, the leg, and the left ankle near the Achilles tendon. He underwent surgery and has been released from the hospital to recover at home.
“Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this chance to live,” Falcão wrote on Instagram. “If the bullet in the back hadn’t been a graze, I don’t know if I’d be here! Thank you to everyone who gave me this wonderful support.”
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Surveillance videos at the restaurant captured the chaos that ensued, as patrons scrambled for cover. Two people that Falcão was eating with, professional skateboarder Pedro Magalhães Marchi and surfer Kauã Vilhena, were also each shot once, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
A black car with four people inside reportedly fired ten shots, and police later recovered two 9mm bullet casings at the scene of the crime. The Globo report says the target of the attack was Luan César Avellar Incutto Ferreira, who was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Saquarema is known as the capital of Brazilian surfing, a venue that has hosted the Championship Tour since 2017. The town, home to pro surfers João and Lucas Chianca, also hosted a Qualifying Series 6000 event in September.
