One week before the scheduled trial date for the murder of Leandro Lo, the accused killer has been ejected from Brazil’s military police force.

In a statement from the São Paulo Secretary of Public Safety, Guilherme Derrite, the secretary, denounced the actions of the accused killer, Lieutenant Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo, who served as an official of São Paulo’s Polícia Militar, but who was off duty during the events which led to the death of the eight-time jiu-jitsu world champion Leandro Lo.

In his written statement, the Public Safety Secretary said:

“The conduct of the Officer, duly proven by the robust evidentiary procedure, was aggravated by a sequence of acts revealing absolute disregard for functional duties and the values that govern the ethics of officership: he fled the scene without providing aid or contacting the competent authority, he hid for hours in a nocturnal environment, he attempted to influence a witness with the aim of constructing an alibi, and never reported the incident to the Corporation, as required by the precepts of the Disciplinary Regulations of the Military Police.”

Velozo’s expulsion comes just one week before he is set to stand trial for the killing of Leandro Lo. In August of 2022, Lo was shot and killed in the Clube Sírio nightclub in São Paulo early in the morning. Several hours later, Velozo — then a lieutenant in the police force — turned himself in.

During recent court proceedings, São Paulo judges ruled that Velozo could continue to receive his police salary of $1,900 per month while awaiting trial.

In a testimony released this week by Brazilian media Globo, Velozo appears to claim self defense. He claimed that he was attacked by Lo, who he says took him down and choked him unconscious before letting him up. Afterwards, Velozo claims, he felt threatened by Lo and his friends who he says closed in on him, prompting him to draw and discharge his firearm.

Globo further reported testimony from the club promoter Romeu Galiano Zanelli Júnior, who says that Velozo provoked Lo and friends, and — humiliated by the result — walked away before returning with a gun to find revenge on Lo.

Velozo is set to stand for judgement and sentencing on May 22 and 23 at the Criminal Forum of Barra Funda in São Paulo.

Lo would have turned 36 years old on Sunday, May 11.