Jiu-jitsu star Leandro Lo Pereira do Nascimento was announced dead at 33 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, following an incident at a nightclub. The Brazilian athlete known for being a world champion, was caught in the middle of a fight, when an “off-duty policeman” attacked him with a firearm.
It has been reported that Leandro was approached by the officer at the Clube Sirio nightclub, who proceeded to gesture threateningly at him with a glass bottle. The sportsman was able to “immobilize him and insisted that he should go away,” but it was at this moment that the officer pulled out a gun and shot Leandro in the forehead.
An investigation is currently taking place, after the tragic death of the athlete, as he was declared brain dead on Sunday morning. The suspect is believed to be officer Henrique Otávio Oliveira Velos, and witnesses said that he escaped after the incident.
Leandro had recently won the 2022 Jiu-jitsu World Championship in the light heavyweight category in California. “Thank you everyone who is always with me, in joy, in sadness!” he wrote to his fans on social media after winning.
“At first I dreamed of being a world champion, then I dreamed of being a paid athlete and being able to train and fight, this is why I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon, because I am living my dream,” he previously declared.
