Police quiz men after fatal Birmingham stabbing
Two men are being quizzed by police today after a teenage rapper was stabbed to death at a fundraising night held in memory of a 16-year-old killed in a knife attack.
Joshua Ribera, who raps under the name Depzman, was attacked outside TCs Nightclub in Selly Oak shortly before 11pm.
The 18-year-old was attending the event to help raise money for a headstone for his 16-year-old friend Kyle Sheelan, who was stabbed in Bartley Green a year ago.
Joshua, of Moseley, died in hospital.
A post mortem has revealed he died from a stab wound to the heart. It is the fourth stabbing within a week in Birmingham and there have been six fatal knife attacks in a year.
An 18-year-old man from Northfield was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday morning after handing himself in at Dudley police station. A 19-year-old from Edgbaston was also arrested on suspicion of murder after handing himself in at Bloxwich Police Station yesterday. Detectives were today given more time to question the 18-year-old man, while the second man also remains in custody.
Investigations into the stabbing were today ongoing.
Det Insp Gary Plant, who is leading the police investigation, said: "We know there were a lot of people at the fundraising event on Friday and Joshua was very popular among his friends and was a well-known rising music star.
"I would urge anyone who saw anything to come forward and talk to us as soon as possible." Following his death, thousands of fans rushed to buy Joshua's album 2 Reel on Saturday, rocketing it to the top of the iTunes hip hop charts.
Tributes include that from MOBO Award nominee Wretch32, who tweeted: "R.I.P depzman. A young talented mc."
James Davis, 27, speaking as he laid a memorial at the murder scene, said: "He was just about to explode in the music industry. He just loved making music – that was his life."
