A 25-year-old stabbed to death in West London in what has been described
as a “robbery gone wrong” has been named as Harry Uzoka.
Sources close to the family have confirmed to IBTimes UK that Uzoka was
the victim. The Met Police is yet to formally confirm the identity of
the victim. Uzoka worked as a model for Premier Model Management.
Uzoka suffered a knife wound to his chest and reportedly staggered
through an estate before collapsing on the pavement in Old Oak Road,
East Acton.
The incident unfolded shortly before 4pm on Thursday afternoon (11 January) and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is another tragic murder with a young male victim who has met a
violent death,” said Met Police Detective Inspector Beverley Kofi.
“We
believe that the incident started Ollgar House, in Ollgar Close and the
victim was assaulted and stabbed before staggering and collapsing in
Old Oak Road. We believe there were a number of people involved, but we
are still working to establish the circumstances and a possible motive.”
Kofi confirmed that two men, aged 27 and 28, were arrested nearby on suspicion of murder and remain in custody.
“We have made two arrests and continue to pursue a number of lines of inquiry,” he said.
“We
need to public’s help to piece together what happened – who the victim
was seen with, the incident itself and the immediate aftermath.
“If
you were in the area at the time and saw anything that could be of
significance to the investigation, we would urge you to get it touch
right away.”
A source was quoted as saying by the London Evening Standard that the
crime was thought to have followed an attempted “robbery gone wrong”.
“My husband was walking our child home from school,” Edtya Pustelny told the newspaper.
“They
walked past three teenage boys who were shouting and ran past the
garages. The three boys were then pinning a guy up against a garage and
holding him by the neck.
“They were shouting they were going to kill
him. My husband said he heard them shouting to give them something. It
sounded like they wanted something from him.”
The Met Police closed both Old Oak Road and part of Uxbridge Road as investigators examined the scene.
Once news of Uzoka’s passing became public, his friends and fans began paying tribute on social media.
