A university student who died after he was stabbed in Leicester has been named by police as 20-year-old Khaleed Oladipo.
Oladipo, who was from London and studying cybersecurity at De Montfort University, died in hospital after the incident in the city centre, police said.
An 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.
Officers said a postmortem examination had found Oladipo had died as a result of a stab wound to the chest.
His family described the 20-year-old as an “extremely loved son, brother, uncle, boyfriend and friend” in a statement released by Leicestershire police.
“Khaleed was a good boy who loved his family. He was in his second year at university, and we were so proud of him,” they said. “One of his main passions was football and he had played since the age of four. He was an Arsenal supporter and we believe he was on his way home to watch the game later that night when he was stabbed and killed.”
Oladipo’s family thanked members of the public who “stopped to try and help Khaleed” as well as the emergency services.
“We are struggling to understand why anyone would do this. We know getting justice for Khaleed will not bring him back but we will make sure that he gets the justice he deserves,” the statement concluded.
Police and emergency services were called just after 5pm on Tuesday after they received reports that a man had collapsed. They later received reports that the man had been stabbed.
The East Midlands ambulance service took Oladipo to Leicester Royal Infirmary, where he died a short time after.
In a statement yesterday, Prof Katie Normington, the vice-chancellor of DMU, said the university was “devastated”. “Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by what has happened,” she said. “We are offering direct support to the students, staff and the family of the victim.”
Officers said initial inquiries suggested Oladipo had been involved in an altercation with another man in the street, who left the scene before police arrived.
The incident caused major disruption and several road closures in the city as forensic and search specialists carried out examinations.