On 16th December, four people were reported to be in a critical condition after crowd trouble at a concert in south London. People at the O2 Academy in Brixton were said to have been locked outside the venue where Nigerian artist Asake was set to perform, – in freezing temperatures, – prompting some to try to force their way inside for the Asake gig.
The concert was eventually cancelled part-way through, with fans of the Nigerian singer told: “The reason we have to stop the show is because they have breached the doors.
You’ve got 3,000 people have broken the doors outside and because of security the police have asked us to close the show.”
The message was met with booing before it continued: “This is nothing to do with us… There are people who’ve breached the door.
They have broken in and security are trying to help with it.”
A female security guard, Gabriella Hutchinson, has died after sustaining injuries in a crush at the music concert.
According to Daily Mail, the victim, 23, was working as a contracted security provider at the concert, died on Monday at the hospital four days after the incident on Thursday night.
This development comes after mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, died from her injuries in hospital on Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police disclosed that a third woman, 21, who was still receiving treatment, was in critical condition.
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said,
I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to Gabrielle’s family at this unimaginably difficult time.”
It is devastating news that a second person has lost their life following the events on Thursday.
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are investigating the incident, and are continuing to appeal for witnesses to contact them.
The police cordons outside the venue have been removed, but cordons remain in place inside the building while officers continue to examine the scene.
The force said they had referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, adding it is a ‘standard national practice following all incidents where police have been in attendance and members of the public have died or been seriously injured’.