A security guard has become the second person to die after a mob at the O2 Academy Brixton last week.
Gaby Hutchinson, 23, was working as a hired security provider at a performance Thursday by Nigerian Afrobeats singer-songwriter Asake.
Police were called to the south London venue at around 9.35pm after reports a large number of people were trying to force their way in. They found several people with “injuries believed to be caused by crushing.”
Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, also died after the incident, and police said a 21-year-old woman remained in a critical condition. The three people were in the lobby of the 4,921-capacity venue.
Ikumelo, a mother of two, had a degree in nursing and regularly posted on TikTok about raising an autistic child.
Supervisor Ch. Colin Wingrove of the Metropolitan Police said on Monday: “It is devastating news that a second person has lost their life following the events on Thursday.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to Gaby’s family at this unimaginably difficult time.”
Detectives from the Met’s specialist crime command are working on the investigation, which the force describes as large and complex. Officers are reviewing CCTV and phone footage, speaking to witnesses and carrying out forensic examinations.
Police cordons outside the compound have been removed, but cordons remained inside the building as officers continued to examine the scene.
A witness who attended the performance, who asked to remain anonymous, said that when people were told to leave, they were not given specific instructions on how to do so. “After people left, as people were leaving, they were still having a hard time leaving because there was a massive stampede outside,” the witness said.
“The side doors were now open so I was able to get out the side doors. Thank God I wasn’t caught in that. It wasn’t until maybe 15, 20 minutes later that I saw the side doors were already open .
“I left and my journey back was fine, I wasn’t aware of all this until I saw it a few hours later, and it made sense to me. You just had more people going to the main exit, from from multiple directions”.
An online page has been set up to submit photos, videos and information, and the Met has asked anyone with such material to use this facility. There were around 4,000 potential witnesses present at the time of the incident, the Met said.
The force has made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is customary after incidents where police have attended and members of the public have died or been seriously injured.
Sadiq Khan said he was “devastated” by the “second life that was tragically lost following the terrible events of Thursday night in Brixton.
“On behalf of all Londoners, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to her family and loved ones at this extremely difficult time. Gaby, like Rebecca Ikumelo, had her whole life ahead of her and she had every right to back home safe and well after his shift working at Brixton Academy. My thoughts remain with all those affected by this terrible incident.”
The Mayor of London urged anyone with information to come forward via the online portal. He said: “The City Council is in close contact with the venue and the London authorities to work to ensure that nothing like this happens again and I will not rest until we have the answers that all those affected by the tragic incident in Brixton need and deserve.” .
In a statement, O2 Academy Brixton said: “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Gaby Hutchinson. We remain devastated by this tragic situation and support the ongoing investigation.”