Mother killed in Brixton crush posted final video about putting children to bed the day before
Rebecca Ikumelo was a YouTube and TikTok blogger who dedicated her platforms to giving other parents tips on how to manage domestic life for autistic children
A mother of two who was killed in a crowd surge outside a concert posted a final video about putting her children to bed, just one day before her tragic death.
Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, was one of three people critically injured during a crush at a show by Nigerian artist Asake at the O2 Academy in Brixton, south London, on Thursday. A number of people had attempted to force entry into the venue without tickets.
Ms Ikumelo, who died on Saturday morning, was a YouTube and TikTok blogger, and had gained more than 13,000 followers on TikTok.
She posted regularly about motherhood and caring for her autistic child, and dedicated her platform to giving other parents tips on how to manage domestic life for autistic children.
She told the Daily Mirror earlier this year that she had left work as a nursing associate to care for her son when he was diagnosed with autism in 2020. Ms Ikumelo posted the final video to her YouTube channel on Wednesday.
Her vlog runs through her two children’s typical bedtime routine. The video opens with Ms Ikumelo, her son, and her younger daughter wearing matching festive pyjamas and decorating their Christmas tree.
Ms Ikumelo then goes on to share clips of her children’s bathtime, before reading them a story, during which she says she often sings and dances for the pair as they fall asleep.
One day after the vlog was uploaded, Ms Ikumelo attended the Asake gig in Brixton. The Metropolitan Police said Ms Ikumelo, from Newham, east London, died in hospital two days later.
Two other women, aged 21 and 23, were taken to hospital following the crush and remain in a critical condition.
Ms Ikumelo’s family paid tribute to her qualities in a statement released via the Met, which said: “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’.”
Tributes to Ms Ikumelo flooded social media after the news broke of her tragic death. One relative, Temitope Olodo, paid tribute to the death of his “favourite niece”.
Posting on Facebook, he wrote: “Today my favourite niece, Rebecca Tosin Ikumelo, died from injuries sustained from the Asake concert saga... O Tosin! You are so full of life and very protective of me. You have a smile that brightens up the room! I am so sad.”
Asake has said he is “devastated” and “overwhelmed with grief” over the death of Ms Ikumelo. He said on Instagram he had spoken to the 33-year-old’s family and will continue to do so.
Thursday’s incident is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Scotland Yard previously said that a woman had been arrested for assaulting an officer over the incident, and that investigators were looking at footage on social media and from body cams.
Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove, policing commander for Lambeth and Southwark, said: “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. 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.”
The force said specialist officers were supporting Ms Ikumelo’s family. Post-mortem tests will be carried out on Sunday.