Oxford Street knife victim ‘was big personality who always had smile’

Seydou Diarrassouba, 18, was knifed in front of horrified shoppers in a fight at a Foot Locker shoe shop in London’s Oxford Street.

He was named yesterday by Yorkshire student Munawar Shaikh, 20, who went to school with Mr Diarrassouba in Mitcham, south London.

Mr Shaikh, who is on a broadcast journalism course at Leeds University, said: “I heard about it on social network sites.

“It’s devastating.

“I had lost contact with Seydou but he was such a big personality and a person everyone in Mitcham would know.

“He was just a good kid who always had a smile on his face. I have not had a chance to go yet but I imagine everybody will be cut up about it.”

Asked if he thought the killing may have been gang-related, Mr Shaikh said: “I cannot say if it was a gang thing. It seems more like it was just a misunderstanding between youths.”

The stabbing sparked angry scenes on Oxford Street as youths remonstrated while paramedics tried to revive Mr Diarrassouba. Scotland Yard confirmed a police officer had to use a Taser stun gun to help restore order.

Eleven people were arrested in connection with Mr Diarrasouba’s death.

The people held were being interviewed at several London police stations.

Only hours after the killing, a second youth was stabbed in the leg in the same street, leading to three more arrests.

Detectives were last night investigating whether the two incidents are linked.

Police called for shoppers with mobile phone footage of the first stabbing to come forward and promised to “review” the cases to decide whether to step up patrols in the area.