Residents worry about 'volatile' Richmond Row atmosphere after man dies in fight

A London, Ont. man has been charged with manslaughter after a fight on Richmond Row last week that led to another man’s death.

Cell phone video circulating on social media shows two men fighting on John Street at Richmond Street. One man falls to the ground twice, before getting back up. He goes down again, but this time he doesn’t get back up. The video shows him lying flat-out on his back on the asphalt.

“One individual suffered injuries as a result of this interaction and was transported to hospital by paramedic services. He has since died in hospital as a result of those injuries,” said acting London Police Sgt. Sandasha Bough.

The fight took place Thursday, March 28, at about 1:20 a.m., according to police.

Police say on April 2, 21-year-old Malik Nathaniel Edwards died of his injuries.

Julius Moses Timme Enongene, 47, of London, has been charged with one count of manslaughter.

The two men did not know each other, according to police.

The altercation drew a crowd on spectators, with videos of the fight posted to social media. Ward Coun. David Ferreira says it’s upsetting.

“Take action within your ability to stop something like this,” he implored. “And I’m not saying get involved. But I am saying don’t stand by and watch. You know there’s people standing by commenting on videos, and that’s been circulating on the internet. I hope that the people who were filming with their phones in hand called the police first.”

The investigation has been assigned to the London Police Major Crimes Unit, said Sgt. Bough.

“They are aware of videos circulating online, and they have spoken with a number of witnesses as well,” she said.

Some neighbours said the atmosphere on Richmond Row can be volatile at times.

Anna Maria Valastro, who sits on the board of the North Talbot Neighbourhood Association, said disturbances happen so often that residents barely notice any more.

“Just open fist-fighting on the street and everyone watching, I find that very disturbing. I think part of the problem is just that Richmond Street is just deteriorating. It doesn’t serve our neighbourhood, for sure. A lot of the residents don’t frequent Richmond Street,” said Valastro.

An online crowd-funding campaign has been set up to help Malik Edwards’ family with funeral costs.