A Miami man has died from a fall to the pavement after a stranger became belligerent and punched him for not having a cigarette.
Brazilian native Lisney Oliveira, 26, died early Monday morning at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center not long after the random attack, and police are hunting the man who is responsible for Oliveira’s death. Authorities say Oliveira was walking with a friend on Northeast Second Avenue and Ninth Street at around 5:30 am Monday morning, heading to a club. A man approached the two men requesting a cigarette, and when Oliveira said he didn’t have one, the stranger struck him with the ultimately fatal blow.
Police have not released the name of Oliveira’s friend, but have released CCTV footage of who they believe is the young man’s attacker shortly after the incident. Oliveira’s family, meanwhile, is mourning the senseless tragedy and remembering a man that loved life:
Oliveira’s family said he moved from southern Brazil to South Florida more than 11 years ago. He loved to go dancing and have fun, and often didn’t return home until after sunrise, said his father, Lisney Oliveira Sr.
“At least I know he lived an amazing 26 years, and he lived it intensely,” said his father in Portuguese outside their Boca Raton home on Wednesday.
Anyone who has information about the case is asked to call police at 305-603-6350, or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
