This teenage man who made a fortune trading cryptocurrencies has been shot dead in his sports car.
Wesley Pessano Santarem was shot dead as he drove his red Porsche Boxster through the neighbourhood of Sao Joao in the Brazilian city of Sao Pedro da Aldeia on the afternoon of Wednesday, 4th August.
Shocking video footage filmed in the aftermath of the shooting shows Wesley motionless in the driver’s seat of his car with his white t-shirt soaked in blood and a visible bullet wound in his neck.
According to reports, the victim, who lived in the nearby city of Cabo Frio, was driving to the hairdresser’s to get a haircut at the time of the incident.
The killing took place in front of bystanders, who said the perpetrators were driving a silver Volkswagen Voyage.
According to the police, Wesley took at least four bullets, including one to the head.
Wesley’s friend was travelling in the passenger seat at the time, and he was injured in the shooting. He was taken to hospital in Cabo Frio, and Wesley’s body was taken for a post-mortem examination.
The injured man’s identity has not been reported.
Despite being just 19 years old, Wesley had apparently made a fortune as a cryptocurrency trader and investor. He had been working in the field for at least three years.
He was also a minor celebrity on Instagram, where he flaunted his wealth and expensive lifestyle to his 133,000 followers, and he ran a YouTube channel with 15,600 subscribers where he gave out trading tips.
Wesley hailed from the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, but had moved to Cabo Frio in the south east of the country around a year ago.
The police have not revealed the perpetrators’ identities or the possible motive for the crime. One unconfirmed motive reported by some local media is that it was a case of mistaken identity.
The investigation into the crime is ongoing.
