Brixton Academy: woman, 33, who died after O2 Academy crush named as mother of two

A woman who died following a crowd crush outside the O2 Academy Brixton was a mother of two known for her “care, kindness and love”, her family said.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, was one of three people critically injured after fans attempted to gain entry without tickets to a show by Nigerian artist Asake at the south London venue on Thursday (15 December). The Metropolitan Police said Ms Ikumelo, from Newham, east London, died in hospital on Saturday (17 December), while two other women, aged 21 and 23, remain in a critical condition.

The Met said its “urgent” investigation continues, while specialist officers provide support to Ms Ikumelo’s family. Post-mortem tests will be done on Sunday (18 December).

Family pay tribute to Rebecca Ikumelo

Her family said in a statement: “Rebecca was a graduate of nursing. She was an adorable mother of two children who loved working with kids.

“She was well respected in the family for her care, kindness and love. Her parents call her Tosin (short for Oluwatosin) meaning ‘Lord is Worthy’.”

Earlier, Asake said he is “devastated” and “overwhelmed with grief” by Ms Ikumelo’s death. In a statement posted on Instagram, he said: “I am devastated by the news that Rebecca Ikumelo who was in a critical condition since Thursday has sadly passed away.

“My sincerest condolences to her loved ones at this time. Let us please keep her family in our prayers. I have spoken to them and will continue to do so. I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening.

“My team and I are still awaiting the full debrief back from the Venue management and the Police to determine what exactly led to all the disruption caused and ultimately to Rebecca’s passing. If you have any relevant information relating to this please do reach out to the Metropolitan Police.”

What have police about the incident?

Speaking at the scene on Friday (16 December), Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said: “I’d like to extend my sympathies to all those who have been affected. Having seen some of the really upsetting images on social media our thoughts are with them.”

Scotland Yard previously said a woman was arrested for assaulting an officer over the incident and investigators were looking at footage on social media and from body worn cameras. “We are working incredibly closely with our partners and community members and would like to thank them for their support so far in the investigation,” Mr Wingrove said.

“We would also like to thank people for coming forward with information. We have set up an online page for the submission of photos and videos.

“There were around 4,000 potential witnesses present at the time of this incident and we want to urge any members of the public with information to come forward. We need your information as we try to establish what happened as quickly as we can.”

What happened?

National World have previously reported on the incident at Brixton Academy on Thursday. The crush occurred during a performance from Nigerian Afrobeats singer and songwriter Asake, which was later cancelled part-way through after an announcement was made on stage.

The Mirror reported that a cancellation announcement had been made on stage during the gig in which the crowd was told the show had to be stopped due to a breach of the doors. An announcer reportedly told the crowd: “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 from fans, before continuing: “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.”

Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP for Vauxhall, wants to know what led to the crush, while Asake said he is “praying” for those hurt on Thursday night. Asaka wrote on Instagram: “My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort. I pray you get well soonest.

“I am also in the process of reaching out to individuals. I still do not have the full brief from the venue management themselves as to what led to the disruption at the entrance of The Brixton Academy, but we are thankful that all was peaceful at the end.

“For my people who enjoyed the beginning of my performance, I am sorry that it was cut short. Thank you for your unbelievable love London. I love you too much! I’m looking forward to seeing you again in a bit!”

One woman who was attending the concert shared a video of the crowd on Twitter and said she was “squashed” as people “stampeded”. She wrote: “I can’t believe this was my reality yesterday. In the middle of this with nowhere to go. I was squashed, people stampeded in after hours of standing outside and having the doors closed. I could not breathe. I had a panic attack later on. I’m traumatised.”