As reported by CBR News, the LAPD has called off the search for the former WWE Superstar Shad Gaspard, after he went missing while swimming with his son at Venice Beach on Sunday.
WWE Superstar and fried of Gaspard, Hassan Hamin Assad - more commonly known by his ring name MVP - tweeted out the following message to his fans:
"Tweeted at the request of Shad's family. @Shadbeast's family appreciates all the love, support, and concern through this horrible ordeal. At this time they are not ready to make any public or official statements to any media outlet And ask all to respect their wishes."
Yesterday, as reported by TMZ, officials had started desperately searching for Gaspard after he went missing during a swim with his 10-year-old son at Venice Beach.
Gaspard and his son were among a group of swimmers caught in a strong rip current around 4:00pm local time, resulting in lifeguards racing into the water to pull everyone out.
The photograph below - taken from his Gaspard's wife's Instagram story - was taken the day of his disappearance.
Gaspard's son was rescued, but the 39-year-old professional wrestler could not be located.
Per TMZ, an official working with the Los Angeles Fire Department told media they believe Gaspard "did submerge".
Divers were deployed to scour the area, and helicopters were scrambled to search the waters from above.
One witness at the scene tells us told TMZ that when lifeguards raced into the ocean, Gaspard instructed them to rescue his son first, which they did. They added that during the rescue, another big wave crashed down on Gaspard, and that was the last time he was seen.
Gaspard is perhaps best known for his run with WWE between the years of 2002 and 2010, where he gained popularity in the tag-team Cryme Tyme with partner JTG (pictured below).
He hit headlines back in 2016 when he apprehended an armed robber. Per WWE.com, when Gaspard was confronted, a fight ensued, which ended in Shad subduing the suspect outside of the gas station and pinning him to the ground until Coral Springs police arrived to take him into custody.
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