The MMA world has been in shock ever since the news was released that
Cain Velasquez, who some believe is the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, has been arrested in San Jose, CA on charges of attempted murder after shooting someone.
At the time, police stated that they were not releasing any motive or circumstances, so we were left with not much clarity or information. All we knew was that he had been arrested for shooting someone, and the location it happened in San Jose.
Now, some new news has come out surrounding the situation. It's being reported that Velasquez was allegedly targeting a man who was accused of molesting an underaged relative of Velasquez's.
According to a local paper, The Mercury News, a 43-year-old man Harry Eugene Goularte, who lives in a home which hosts a daycare business run by his mother, was recently charged with the crime against Velasquez's relative.
Mercury News goes on to say, "Three days later, at about 3:15 p.m. Monday, Velasquez allegedly opened fire at a car carrying Goularte, his stepfather and at least one other person near a cloverleaf interchange where Monterey Highway and Bailey Avenue overlap, according to police and sources familiar with the investigation." They clarified the condition of the stepfather saying, "the stepfather was hit at least once and is expected to survive."
So the reasoning behind Velasquez's motive is now clear. He was trying to get payback for what had happened to his relative (no clarification was provided on the relationship between Velasquez and the underaged relative).
Whether or not he's justified in his actions are up for debate. However, what is clear here is that he shot the wrong person. Instead of hitting the man who he was after, his bullet struck the stepfather of that man, an innocent bystander.
Given this new information, some MMA stars are already calling for the freeing of Velasquez, claiming he was justified in his actions. Former UFC champion and current PFL challenger Anthony "Showtime" Pettis posted a photo of him with Velasquez on Instagram saying "Free @officialcainvelasquez"
https://www.instagram.com/p/CalcifdrM1u/
We will have to watch how this all plays out in court.
