Second Person Dies After Concert Crush at Brixton Academy

Photo Credit: Bene Riobó / CC by 4.0

A second person has died after the concert crush at Brixton Academy in London that resulted in eight hospitalizations.

Gabrielle Hutchinson, 23, who was working as a security guard at the O2 Brixton Academy, where Nigerian singer Asake was performing Thursday night, died on Monday after being hospitalized following injuries at the venue. Hutchinson was one of eight people hospitalized after being caught up in a crowd crush incident in the concert hall’s foyer. 

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, died Saturday morning from injuries she sustained during the incident. A 21-year-old woman is still in critical condition. All three were in the foyer when they were caught up in a wave of people trying to force their way into the venue.

Police said emergency services were called to reports of an increasingly large crowd and people trying to force their way inside. Detectives have reportedly been reviewing security camera and phone footage, conducting forensic examinations, and speaking to witnesses as part of a large-scale investigation. Police have said it’s too early to determine whether a crime was committed.

The O2 Brixton Academy in London is one of the city’s most famous music venues, initially built as a movie theater in the 1920s. It has a capacity of just under 5,000.

The concert was to be Asake’s third at the venue and was canceled after just ten minutes due to the incident. Witnesses estimate that more than 1,000 people turned up at the gate without a ticket, with some fans saying they could not gain entry even with a valid ticket due to the onslaught of people. 

One video shows a member of Asake’s stage crew walking onstage to tell the crowd the show has been canceled due to the venue’s security being breached.

“You’ve got 3,000 people who’ve broken the doors outside, and because of security, people have asked us to close the show. We apologize to you; this has nothing to do with us,” says the unidentified man.

Before Thursday’s concert, which like Asake’s previous two shows was already sold-out, the artist posted a statement on Twitter asking fans to only come to the venue if they already had a ticket.