A Nigerian athlete, Oluwabukola Pereira, has been shot dead during a suspected robbery at a car service centre in Lockland.
Pereira, a 30-year-old middle-distance runner, was working as a cashier at the facility when the incident occurred. According to a co-worker, the assailant fled with about $1,500 after the attack.
The deceased was also an MBA student at Xavier University and was only days away from graduation before she was killed.
The shooting reportedly took place on May 8, although local authorities are still investigating the incident and have yet to officially establish a motive for the attack.
A co-worker, Don Simpson, said Pereira attempted to pursue the suspect after the robbery before she was shot twice.
“So the guy came in and robbed her, and when he ran, she ran behind him. And when they got to the back, he shot her,” Simpson said.
Pereira was born in Lagos, where she participated in several national athletics championships before relocating to the United States.
According to James Lafferty, who discovered and sponsored her relocation to the US, Pereira arrived in America with just $10 and a scholarship opportunity.
Lafferty, a former chief executive officer of Coca-Cola West Africa, reportedly discovered Pereira’s athletic talent while working in Lagos.
Before enrolling for her MBA programme at Xavier University, Pereira earned a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Baptist University and later obtained a master’s degree in communication from the University of Texas at El Paso.
