Marvel star Frank Grillo rips LA's rising crime after his boxing trainer is shot and killed: 'Need to wake up'
Celebrity trainer Azuma Bennett was shot and killed last week in Los Angeles
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marvel star Frank Grillo is speaking out about rising crime in Los Angeles after his boxing trainer was shot last week.
Grillo, who portrays Crossbones in "Avengers" and "Captain America," is mourning the loss of Azuma Bennett, who was killed outside a marijuana dispensary Aug. 12.
"He made everybody feel good about training," Grillo told KNBC. "I don’t know what’s happened to Los Angeles that a beautiful guy like this gets shot and killed over nothing."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Frank Grillo comments on the rising crime in Los Angeles after his trainer was killed last week. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
According to the New York Post, Bennett, 30, was shot "at least eight times" and died before he reached a nearby hospital. At this point, investigators have not identified any suspects or shared a motive for the crime.
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The Australian native trained several high-profile clients, including Grillo. His client list also included UFC fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller and singers Kiana Ledé and Eddie Benjamin.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tonight with great sadness we honour the life of our martial arts brother Azuma Bennett son of our late Grand Master...
Posted by The Combat Academy on Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Grillo took to Instagram Friday to share several articles about Bennett's death. Grillo captioned one post, "We in LA need to wake up to what has become a common occurrence."
In another he wrote, "Maybe we can force the hand of the powers that be to get off their a---- and fix this s---."
Frank Grillo portrays Crossbones in "Avengers" and "Captain America" films. (Frank Trapper)
A GoFundMe page was started for Bennett on behalf of his gym, Fortune Gym.
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"Azuma was one of a kind," the statement on the page said. "An outstanding athlete, fighter, teacher trainer, and friend/mate to so many. We lost one of the best ones out there. He did not deserve this. He was kind to all that he met and always engaged everyone in the gym with his positive energy and engaging personality."
As of April, shootings in Los Angeles are up by 69% since 2020. Violent crime is up by 7.2% when compared to last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Grillo's trainer, Azuma Bennett, was shot and killed outside a Los Angeles marijuana dispensary. (Jamie McCarthy)
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Robberies are up by 18.5% compared to last year. Car thefts are up by 40% compared to 2020, according to the Los Angeles Times.