Africa-Press – Eswatini. Brazilian authorities on Sunday arrested a police officer accused of having shot dead Leandro Lo, eight-time jiu-jitsu world champion, after an argument at a party in São Paulo.
Lieutenant Henrique Otávio Oliveira Velozo, 30, of the Military Police of São Paulo, appeared on Sunday, before his superiors, and was immediately arrested as a suspect in the crime that occurred in the early hours of Sunday.
The detention complies with an order from the São Paulo Court of Justice, which imposes preventive detention for 30 days, while Veloso is investigated as the main suspect in the murder of the world champion.
According to the Civil Police of São Paulo, Velozo was taken to a police station to testify and will later be transferred to a special penitentiary for agents of the security forces.
The murder took place at Esporte Clube Sírio, in the south of São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, where the athlete had gone with friends to a performance by a popular music group, at a party. According to witnesses, the fighter argued, for reasons not yet known, with Velozo, apparently drunk, and immobilized the police officer with an armbar, typical of martial arts.
As soon as he was free, the agent pulled out a gun and shot the world champion in the head. The victim was taken to a hospital, where death was confirmed.
Although he fled the scene of the crime, the alleged attacker, who was dressed in plain clothes, on a day off, was identified by witnesses and with the help of security cameras.
According to information in the Brazilian press, Velozo had already been punished for acts of indiscipline, for interfering in an argument and assaulting another police officer, in an incident that took place in a bar in São Paulo.
Leandro Pereira do Nascimento Lo, 33 years old, was eight times jiu-jitsu world champion in five different categories and won five world titles in the modality, in addition to eight Pan-American titles in the modality.
The fighter, who won his first world title in 2012 in the lightweight category, was still active and in May of this year he won a new world title, but in the light heavyweight category. The Brazilian had plans to play a championship in the United States in the coming days.
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