Detectives have made two more arrests as part of their investigation into a fatal stabbing.
A total of eight people are now in custody following the death of a 31-year-old man, who has now been named by his family as Michael Anton O’Connor from Alexandra Park.
Police were called after reports of a large fight in Wilford Crescent West, The Meadows, Nottingham, shortly before 10.30pm on Wednesday (10 November).
On arrival, officers found a man with knife wounds. Officers worked hard with paramedics to provide emergency first aid to the man, who was in a critical condition.
Tragically the man later died at the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Two men, aged 19 and 47, were arrested on Friday evening (12 November 2021) on suspicion of murder and they remain in custody. This follows the arrests of six other people in connection with the incident.
Large numbers of officers, including armed units, were deployed to the area following the incident, where they arrested three men and a woman.
The three men aged 21, 23 and 34 were swiftly arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody.
A 37-year-old woman, who was initially arrested for assisting an offender, has since been further arrested on suspicion of murder and also remains in custody.
Meanwhile, two further men – aged 29 and 27 – were arrested on Friday morning on suspicion of murder.
Detective Chief Inspector Robert Routledge, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Eight people have now been arrested in connection with this incident following these two further arrests, and we continue to make good progress in our investigation.
“We are continuing to make enquiries and remain determined to bring to justice anyone who had involvement in the attack, which is why we will continue to invest a large number of detectives and uniformed officers into this investigation.
“In the meantime, specially trained officers are continuing to work with Michael’s family, who have asked for privacy at this extremely difficult time.”
Inspector Karl Thomas, of the City South neighbourhood policing team, added: “This is a tragic incident and our thoughts remain with the victim’s family following this very sad loss.
“Clearly the events of Wednesday evening will have caused concern in the community, so we have stepped up patrols in the area which I hope has provided some reassurance.
“If you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to speak to any of our officers.
“This is a very difficult time for the local community but I would encourage people to stay calm and to allow officers to do their job.
“Cordons are still in place within the area. I appreciate these scenes are upsetting for the local community but they are necessary to ensure a thorough investigation can take place
“Incidents of this type are indeed very concerning and highlight why Nottinghamshire Police is determined to continue to working hard, with the support of partner agencies and, importantly, the community to tackle and prevent knife crime from happening on our streets.”
Pastor Clive Foster, senior minister at Pilgrim Church, close to where the incident took place, also appealed for calm.
He said: “Firstly my sincere heartfelt sympathy goes out to the family who have tragically lost a loved one to this senseless knife crime violence. When these awful crimes happen within our community it not only hurts the immediate family who feel it most profoundly but impacts on other family members, friends and wider community.
“I don’t know why this happened but if anyone has any information please inform the police to prevent any further loss of life – this bloodshed and destruction of families within our community has to stop.
“We are calling for peace and calm within our community. We have been working with churches, community groups and authorities to minimise the occurrence of such violence and will continue to do so. The Pilgrim Church in The Meadows will be open for anyone to provide pastoral support and a space for prayer and healing for anyone affected in the community.”
Anyone with additional information about this incident it asked to call police on 101 quoting incident 816 of 10 November.
