Tributes paid to “selfless” security worker killed in Brixton Academy Asake gig crush

21 December, 2022

The family of security contractor Gaby Hutchinson, who died after hundreds of people forced their way into Asake’s headline show at Brixton Academy, have paid tribute to their loved one.

The incident occurred on December 15, when people who were outside the venue tried and were able to force their way in to Asake‘s show, leading to overcrowding in the venue and the gig being cancelled half way through.

Initially, eight people were taken to hospital following the incident, with four of those in a critical condition from injuries sustained by crushing in the crowd.

Rebecca Ikumelo, aged 33, died in hospital on Saturday morning (December 17), while Gaby Hutchinson died on Monday (December 19). A third woman, aged 21, remains in hospital in a critical condition.

In a tribute shared with BBC Newsbeat, Gaby is described as having been “unapologetically themselves”. Family members added: “When Gaby loved you, it was with their whole heart.”

They continued: “Gaby has bought so much love, laughter and inappropriate jokes into our lives and will forever be our baby, our daughter, our sister, our man and our joy.

“Getting 23 years of Gaby’s life was a blessing and one we will never forget. Gaby will forever live on in our hearts. No-one should go to work and not come home. But Gaby protected those they loved fiercely and it was the same with Gaby’s job.”

The police cordons outside the venue have now been removed, but cordons remain inside the building while officers continue to examine the scene.

The police have also 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.

Asake published a statement to his social media accounts on Saturday in response to the news of Ikumelo’s death, in which he said he had spoken to her family and “will continue to do so”.

“I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening,” he wrote.

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