Professional surfer Ricardo dos Santos died Tuesday morning from gunshot wounds he sustained on Monday near his hometown beach of Embaú Guard in Brazil.
Dos Santos was shot three times in the chest, stomach and back, SurfLine.com reports.
Two men have been taken into custody. Luis Paulo Mota Brentano, a 25-year-old military police officer and his 17-year-old brother are being detained by local police, after turning themselves in, Hardcore magazine reports.
Dos Santos was hit three times and was flown by helicopter to a local hospital. He suffered a punctured kidney and a punctured lung.
According to Allain, dos Santos underwent four different surgeries and took 40 liters of blood transfusions. He was fighting for his life in the ICU for over 24 hours, before passing away Tuesday morning.
Dos Santos was a fearless, world-class surfer who is remembered for some of his pristine barrel rides. He garnered international attention in 2012 after winning the Billabong Pro in Tahiti. During that competition he beat out international superstars Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow and Jordy Smith, earning him the Andy Irons Award for Most Committed Performance. He also won the SurfLine Wave of the Winter in 2012, for a picture-perfect barrel ride at Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore.
The Brazilian big-wave phenom was just 24 years old.
Kelly Slater posted this tribute to Ricardo dos Santos on his Instagram page on Tuesday: