A man in his 20s who died after being stabbed in Leicester city centre on Tuesday was a student at De Montfort University, the vice chancellor has confirmed.
Leicestershire Police said a murder investigation is now underway after the man is believed to have been stabbed close to Leicester city centre. The man was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but sadly died a short time later.
Police believe the victim was involved in an altercation with another man in the street. Officers said an 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody.
A post from De Montfort University Leicester on Facebook read: “Following a major incident around our campus, we are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our students. Our first priority is to support everyone in our university community who is affected – if any students need support, please contact wellbeing@dmu.ac.uk.”
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) Vice-Chancellor Katie Normington said the univiesity was “devastated” by the incident.
She said “We are devastated by the tragic death of one of our students. Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by what has happened. We are offering direct support to students, staff and the family of the victim.
(Image: PA)
“We are working with Leicestershire Police as they investigate this tragic incident. Thank you for the messages of support we have been receiving from the community of Leicester: it is a city that knows how to stand together in moments like this.”
Tye Crofton, 19, who works in De Montfort University’s Innovation Centre, said they heard a scream before seeing the man on the floor.
They said: “I was just about finishing work about five minutes to 5pm (…) and then I heard a scream.
“As I exited from the doors over there to my right, there was a young man lying on the floor… surrounded by about 12 to 17 bystanders, some of which had covered him in their coats.”
(Image: PA)
They said the university campus security arrived with a defibrillator before an ambulance came.
They added: “It might have been a student because we are on a university campus, it did happen about 5pm and everyone was getting off work, so there was a bunch of people around.
“There was someone else there that had two phones up to each ear and then talking into them, and I assumed that they were already in contact with EMAS (East Midlands Ambulance Service).
“The person who was on two phones, a girl, she seemed quite emotional about it, but I don’t know if she was a friend or just someone who’d witnessed it.”
Detective Inspector Lorna Granville, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “We are currently piecing together exactly what has occurred on the corner of Oxford Street and Bonners Lane between, what is reported, as two men involved in a confrontation.
“One of the men is believed to have been stabbed and has then collapsed in the street. Despite the best efforts of medical staff he died in hospital.
CCTV in the area is currently being reviewed and officers are speaking to potential witnesses to assist with our investigation. We know a lot of people came to the aid of the victim before emergency services arrived and we want to thank them for their help.
“If you were one of these people and you haven’t yet spoken to police, please make contact with us.
“The incident happened at 5pm so we know the area was also busy with motorists driving along Oxford Street. If you saw anything or captured footage on dash cam as you drove past the area we would also like to hear from you.
“I appreciate the incident has caused major disruption in the city, with a number of roads closed. We are working to reduce this impact as soon as we can.
“Local officers will be in the area over the coming days carrying out reassurance patrols. If anyone has any concerns, please speak to an officer. If you can help in any way, call 101 and quote incident number 495 of 3 February.”
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