Third arrest in murder investigation following knife killing of Salem Koudou
Detectives investigating the murder of Salem Koudou from Lambeth made a third arrest on what would have been the victim’s birthday.
An 18-year-old was arrested in Harlow, Essex, on Monday, 24 August on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody.
The victim has been named as Salem Koudou, who was aged 20, and from Lambeth.
Police were called at approximately 5.55pm on Thursday, 20 August to reports of a fight in the vicinity of Overton Road, Brixton.
Officers, paramedics and London’s Air Ambulance all attended the scene.
Salem was found suffering stab injuries on nearby Wynne Road. He was taken to hospital for treatment but died there at 8.53pm.
A post-mortem examination took place at Greenwich Mortuary on Saturday, 22 August and gave the cause of death as multiple stab-wounds.
One man – aged 26 – was found suffering stab injuries on Overton Road. He was taken to hospital where he remains; his condition is not life-threatening. He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, but has since been released.
An overturned car was found in nearby Marcella Road and is being linked to this incident. At this stage it is believed it may have collided with another car before overturning; there were no reports of any injuries directly as a result of this collision.
A 19-year-old man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder and grievous bodily harm (GBH). He has been released on bail to return to a South London police station on a date in September.
The investigation by homicide detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command is being led by Detective Chief Inspector Richard Vandenbergh.
He said: “August 24 should have been Salem’s birthday, but instead of celebrating, his family are suffering the pain and anguish of his loss. We need to understand the chain of events that led to this young man’s death, and for that we need the public’s help.
“The incident took place in the early evening on a busy street. Many people have already spoken to my officers, but I know there are more who have yet to speak to police; we particularly want to hear from anyone who has video or dash cam footage. If you can help then please come forward, you will be fully supported.”
Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD 5998/20Aug.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
+ We need to hear from anyone who has information about a crime, or about someone they suspect to be carrying a weapon or involved in organised crime.
If you don’t want to speak to the police, contact Fearless. They are a totally independent charity and remain 100 per cent anonymous, they never ask your name and they cannot trace your call IP address or device you use