Eight-Time World BJJ Champion Leandro Lo Murdered In Sao Paulo

The Brazilian jiu jitsu community lost an important member of its family when eight-time Jiu Jitsu World champion Leandro Lo was shot in the head and killed in a senseless act of violence on Saturday night.

Details are still emerging regarding the incident, but reports claim a man came up to Lo and several friends in a Sao Paulo concert and stole a bottle of liquor from their table. Lo took the man down and restrained him, but after they were separated the man pulled out a gun and shot him. Lo was rushed to a nearby hospital but pronounced braindead soon after.

There are many reports that the shooter was a military police officer, and Brazilian outlet Combate identified Henrique Otávio Oliveira Velozo as the main suspect. They also included a detailed account of the fatal incident:

As witnesses report, police officer Henrique, after a brief discussion, went to the table of the victim Leandro , taking a bottle from the table, in a continuous act the victim got up, took the bottle from the author’s hand and, in a struggle, knocked him down and immobilized him. At this moment, the victim’s colleagues separated both and asked “to leave it alone”. The author, after getting up, went around the table and, facing the victim, drew his gun and fired a shot, which hit the frontal region of the victim’s head (forehead, left side).

Leandro Lo was one of the most decorated jiu jitsu competitors in the game, having won eight Jiu Jitsu World cups, eight Pan-American Games, and seven Copa Podio Grand Prixs. He was just 33 years of age. The BJJ community has been shocked by the news, and are honoring his memory on social media.

According to BJJ Heroes, Leandro Lo had a 268-39 record in grappling and holds wins over names like Gilbert Burns, Alan Belcher, Andre Galvao, Augusto Mendes, Dillon Danis, Gordan Ryan, and Davi Ramos.