A Brazilian influencer has been shot dead in front of her boyfriend and their two-year-old son in a botched robbery following a high-speed chase in Rio.
According to Mail Online, Luanne Jardim was sitting in the passenger seat of her car while her boyfriend, João Farche, was attempting to flee from the suspects on Sunday night, May 21.
The 33-year-old was struck on the shoulder as the couple’s son, Miguelzinho Farche, looked on. She was rushed to Salgado Filho Municipal Hospital, where she died.
The Rio de Janeiro Military Police said it is investigating the incident as an attempted robbery, but Jardim’s father believes she was executed.
‘Certainly, this was not a mere theft, robbery’ Atanael Jardim said, as quoted by Brazilian news outlet G1.
‘This was a homicide because no one inside a car is going to steal the other and shoot from inside the car with the window closed.’
A police report revealed that the suspects shot at the rear of the vehicle and then approached it from the side and shot at Jardim again.
Her death comes about 15 days after she had swapped her Porsche, which had bulletproof windows, for another vehicle that didn’t feature armored protection.
No arrests had been reported as of Tuesday afternoon.
Jardim, who also leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter, found social media stardom after overcoming a relationship filled with domestic violence in 2019 followed by her battles with obesity and depression.