A young and promising model has become the latest victim of knife crime in the United Kingdom.
London-born model Harry Uzoka was only 25-years-old when his life was cruelly taken away from him after being stabbed to death by two men in what is believed to be a robbery gone wrong.
Although police have yet to formally identify the victim several fashion brands and modelling agencies who have worked with Mr Uzoka, plus friends on social media, have named him as the victim of Thursday January 11.
According to Scotland Yard, a 25-year-old man was fatally stabbed in Oak Road, East Acton, in West London around 4.00pm. Two men aged 27 and 28 were arrested near the scene of the crime.
Harry Uzoka was signed to Premier Model Management, who are responsible for cultivating the careers of fashion icons like Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. Friends of one of the UK’s most promising models described him as an ‘inspiration to young black men’, the BBC reports.
Since his death tributes have been poured out on social media by those who knew Harry such as model Jordan Dunn who described him on Twitter as a ‘young king’.
Singer-Songwriter MNEK wrote:
SHOCKED. i met him various times and thought he was always so cool. my heart goes out to his family. RIP
Online clothing store Everlane, who were one of the brands to work with the prodigious model described Harry not just ‘a wonderful model but even more so a good person and a pleasure to work with’.
In their tribute they wrote:
We’re deeply saddened to hear about Harry Uzoka’s passing.
He was a wonderful model but even more so a good person and a pleasure to work with.
There’s so much more behind the person you’ve seen in our campaigns.
Thank you, Harry, for being such a great person. Rest in peace.
A statement from men’s lifestyle magazine GQ said they:
… are appalled and saddened by his death and would like his family to know that our thoughts and prayers are with him and his loved ones.
A spokesperson for denim brand G-Star RAW said:
Harry has worked closely with us as a model. Harry had a contagious personality – he would light up the room and make everyone on set smile.
We will miss him.
In a press statement, London Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Beverley Kofi said:
This is another tragic murder with a young male victim who has met a violent death. We believe there were a number of people involved, but we are still working to establish the circumstances and a possible motive.
We have made two arrests and continue to pursue a number of lines of inquiry. We need the public’s help to piece together what happened – who the victim was seen with, the incident itself and the immediate aftermath.
According to the BBC, last year more than 13,000 knife offences were committed in London alone, with 37,000 knife crime incidents occurring across the country in 2017. Tragically Harry Uzoka has become the latest victim and another statistic in the rising culture of knife crime in London and the United Kingdom.
We here at UNILAD would like to extend our sincerest condolences to Harry’s family and friends at this difficult time.
If you have any information about the stabbing which took place in Oak Road, East Acton on Thursday January 11, you can call Hammersmith and Fulham Police anonymously by dialling 101.
