The Met Police have issued a new appeal following two deaths caused by a crowd crush at last month’s Asake gig at the O2 Academy Brixton.
The incident occurred when people who were outside the venue were able to force their way in to the show, leading to overcrowding and the gig being cancelled half way through.
Rebecca Ikumelo, aged 33, died in hospital on December 17, while Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died on December 19. A third attendee, aged 21, remains in hospital in a critical condition.
On 22 December, it was reported that Brixton Academy’s licence could be temporarily suspended after the incident, with the venue later ordered to remain shut until January 16.
Detective Superintendent Dave Kennett, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said in a statement on Friday (December 30): “A team of detectives with expertise in complex investigations is working to establish exactly what happened before and during this incident.”
“We know there were thousands of people in and around the venue,” he continued. “Many of them will have seen what happened and some may have been caught up in the crush themselves. What they have to tell us is really important and we are urging them to come forward.
“As part of the investigation we are carrying out a comprehensive analysis of any available CCTV footage. However we are also very keen to obtain and view any other footage filmed on the night.”
Were you at the O2 Brixton Academy for the Asake concert on Thursday 15 December?
— Lambeth Police | Central South BCU (@LambethMPS) December 30, 2022
Kennett added: “We know from some videos shared on social media immediately after the incident that there were many people caught up in the crowds outside, in the entrances and in the atrium of the venue. Some of those people had their phones out and were likely filming or taking photos.
“That footage or those images could include detail that will help us to better piece together exactly what took place and why. Two people have died and a third is still very seriously injured and we owe it to them, their families and anyone else affected by this incident to do leave no stone unturned.”
The police have called for anyone with information that could potentially help the case to come forward and have set up an online portal for people to submit information, images or footage. They estimate that there were around 4,000 witnesses present at the time of the incident.
The venue said they “continue to be devastated by this tragic situation and are fully supporting the ongoing investigation”.
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