A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering rapper Lamar “Hypo” Jackson, who was fatally stabbed at a party in East London on Friday (Jun. 3).
Hypo was attacked while attending a street party celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee after a fight broke out. Cops say he was then stabbed in front of a “large number of people,” some of whom recorded the incident on their phones.
Police and ambulance services were called to the attack shortly after midnight on Friday when they discovered the 39-year-old rapper suffering from stab wounds. Hypo was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the best efforts of paramedics to revive him.
Cops Charge Man With Hypo’s Murder
Detectives investigating the murder confirmed they arrested 32-year-old Laurie John-Phillip the following day (Jun. 4) in connection with the attack on Hypo. He is charged with murder and possession of a bladed article and will appear in court on Monday, June 6.
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Laurence Smith called for any potential witnesses to come forward. “This man was attacked at a party,” he said in a statement. “We know that a large number of people would have been in attendance.”
He continued, “I would urge anyone who is yet to speak with us to come forward and let us know what you saw. It is possible that events leading up to the stabbing, and perhaps the murder itself, was captured on people’s phones. Please take a look and call us. It is vital that we establish what happened.”
Hypo shared the moments leading up to the party on his Instagram Story and later posted footage from the event.
Tributes flooded in on social media after the tragic news was announced. The rapper has released popular songs over the years, and he dated the singer Emeli Sandé for about a year before splitting in 2017.