The grieving dad of a YouTuber killed alongside American singer Oliver Tree and four others in a mid-air helicopter crash said he believes “it was an attack.”
Ricardo Prim, the dad of Argentine influencer Gaspar “Gaspi” Prim, said his son, 23, died in a “very unjust way” in the June 14 tragedy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, local outlet Clarin reported.
“It’s not known whether it was an accident or an attack,” the dad said.
“I didn’t know the American singer who was with him, Oliver Tree, but I’m receiving a lot of information and I believe it wasn’t an accident. For me, it was an attack.”
Ricardo Prim did not elaborate on what makes him suspect an attack. Authorities have said the cause of the crash is still being investigated – and could take five years to complete.
The dad, a bookshop owner in Puerto Madryn, paid tribute to his son’s creativity and reminisced over the movies they watched together.
“Gaspi spent a lot of time here in the bookstore when he was little. I always saw creativity in him,” he said, describing his son as a “perfectionist.”
“When he was a kid, I used to say he was going to be a film director. We watched Batman movies together.
“He was always a very intelligent and sensitive little boy.”
Ricardo described his pain as “indescribable” but said he had been comforted by the warmth shown by others.
“He was in his prime. He was only 23 years old. It’s going to be very difficult for me to live without Gaspi, knowing that he’s gone,” he said.
“With every hug they give me, I feel like Gaspi is hugging me.
“In this dehumanizing moment, something incredible happened to me. I ended up hugging people I don’t know. Gaspi made us all more human.”
Prim’s mom Michelle told La Nation she was “heartbroken but at peace” following his death, but refused to speculate about the cause of the crash.
“Gaspar passed away with his friends, with Lucas Vignale, and with his idol, Oliver Tree. I’m heartbroken but at peace,” she said.
“There’s nothing better than having a child and knowing that he was able to do what he wanted.”
The matriarch said her son “had learned to fly, somehow, and now he watches over us from the sky.”
Tree, who had more than 11 million monthly Spotify listeners, had completed four dates on his global “World’s First World Tour” before the fatal crash.
His loved ones announced that his “final wish” was to create a foundation in his name – with funds going towards upcoming artists.