An Mixed Martial Arts fighter nicknamed The Nightmare was been stabbed to death at his 30th birthday party.
Police today named Jahreau Shepherd, 30, as the man found dead in Kennington, south London, just after 10pm on Saturday.
Police and paramedics tried to stop him bleeding to death, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Shepherd, also known as Jay, was with family and friends at a barbecue on the nearby Black Prince Estate when he was attacked not long after his mother left celebrations.
Mixed Martial Arts fighter Jahreau Shepherd, 30, who was killed in Kennington on Saturday
The welterweight champion had a 6-2 win record in professional Mixed Martial Arts, with five wins by knockout, according to his online profile.
A spokesman for his promoters said on Instagram: “Jay, our welterweight champion, was hugely talented and great fun to be around, a big personality with a huge smile and infectious laugh.
“Inside the cage, he was destined for the top – a champion in three different organisations with heavy hands and a warrior heart.”
His brother, Rico Biggs, also took to the social media platform to pay tribute to the star fighter who had started training again last week after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
He wrote: “You got me messed up bro. I can’t even lie, I’m crying and laughing at all the memories we shared.
“You always showed everyone the same amount of love from the jump, until they gave you a reason to show them otherwise, everyone’s a friend, everyone’s a brother. I miss you man, I really miss you bro.”
Jahreau, whose ring name was The Nightmare, had a 6-2 win record as welterweight champion
Fellow fighter, Steve Cook from Team Underground MMA, who was a close friend of Mr Shepherd paid tribute to him on social media.
He wrote on Facebook: “It’s took [sic] me a while longer to write this post because I couldn’t fully accept it was real, Jahreau Shepherd my brother, my friend, training partner and drinking buddy lost his life Saturday night at his 30th birthday party.
“I’m truly heartbroken, you was such a joy to be around, you helped the team out so much, everyone looked up to you especially all the young fighters who were coming up, my son David loved you very much and I can’t thank you enough for looking after him in Sweden and helping him get ready for his fights.
“Our last conversation was about MMA and how much you couldn’t wait to get back in the cage, My last imagine of you was you wearing all white with a big bottle of Hennessy and that massive grin.
Tributes were paid to the fighter online on Instagram after he was murdered at the weekend
“I cried endlessly when you died but I promise I won’t let the tears mar the smiles that you’ve given me when you were alive. I’ll always miss you champ. Myself Jon and all the team at Team underground MMA will never forget you.”
Police launched a murder investigation after the killing and said a post-mortem will be held at a later date.
Shortly after Mr Shepherd’s death, a 26-year-old man arrived at hospital suffering stab injuries believed to have been sustained at the same party.
He is expected to recover and no arrests have yet been made, Scotland Yard said.
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Whellams, from the Met’s Specialist Crime, said: “A man has lost his life and a family has been left suffering unimaginable grief because of the callous use of a knife to inflict fatal injuries.
“I will do all I can to get justice for this family, and, along with colleagues from my homicide teams, I will use every available tactic to find whoever is responsible for this terrible attack.
“Our investigation is at an early stage, but we are already building a picture of what happened. I would urge any witnesses who have yet to speak to police to call my officers or contact Crimestoppers anonymously to share what they know.
“Officers from the Met’s Central South Command are supporting the investigation, and there will be additional patrols in and around the estate and the Kennington area.
“I ask local people to speak with those officers to tell them anything they know about this incident or more broadly about criminals who are active in the area.”