Second person dies following incident at O2 Brixton Academy

Gabrielle Hutchinson, aged 23, died in hospital in the early hours of Monday, 19 December.  He was working as one of the contracted security providers for the event that evening. Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said: “It is devastating news that a second person has lost their life following the events on Thursday. I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to Gabrielle’s family at this unimaginably difficult time.”

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are working hard to establish exactly what happened on Thursday night. The investigation is large and complex. Officers are reviewing CCTV, phone footage, speaking to witnesses and conducting forensic examinations. As with any police investigation, they will assess the evidence to establish whether any criminal offences were committed. The police cordons outside the venue have been removed, but cordons remain in place inside the building while officers continue to examine the scene. At this time we have established that the three women who were critically injured, including Rebecca Ikumelo and Gabrielle Hutchinson who have tragically died, were all in the foyer of the building.

A third woman, aged 21, remains in the hospital in a critical condition. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this incident. An online page for the submission of photos, videos and information has been set up and we would ask anyone with such material to use this facility. There were around 4,000 potential witnesses present at the time of this incident and we urge any members of the public with information to come forward. Police officers were initially called to the location at 21:04hrs following reports of a large crowd gathered outside the venue. A further call was made at 21:35hrs reporting people were attempting to force entry into the venue. We have made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as is standard national practice following all incidents where police have been in attendance and members of the public have died or been seriously injured.