Audio By Carbonatix
A clubber in downtown Miami died early this morning after a man punched him in the head, apparently in retaliation for not bumming him a cigarette.
Around 5:30 this morning, 26-year-old Lisney Oliveira and a friend were walking outside Club Mekka downtown when a man approached and asked for a smoke, police say.
Oliveira’s friend, whom police haven’t identified, said they didn’t have any cigarettes, and the pair kept walking down NE Second Ave. near Ninth Street.
Then the man approached from behind and punched Oliveira in the back of the head, sending him sprawling to the sidewalk, says Officer Jeffrey Giordano, a Miami PD spokesman.
When news happens, Miami New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If Miami New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Oliveira’s head slammed into the pavement. Medics took him to Jackson Memorial Hospital, but he died in the trauma center later this morning.
His death is just the latest violence outside a Miami club, a trend reported on by Natalie O’Neill in a feature last month.
Police are looking for the man in the photo posted above.
A surveillance camera caught him leaving the scene of the crime soon after Oliveira’s death, and detectives say he may be a suspect.
If you recognize him or know anything else, call the cops at 305-471-TIPS.