London police have now laid a manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal fight on Richmond Row.
On March 28 around 1:20 a.m., police say two men who did not know each other fought on John St.
21-year-old Malik Edwards was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries. London police charged 47-year-old Julius Enongene with one count of manslaughter on Thursday.
Tatyana Edwards, Malik’s sister, has organized a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs, and donations will go towards honouring his memory with a dignified service.
“He touched the lives of so many with his kindness, humour and unwavering love,” she writes. “As we come together to celebrate his life, his family is faced with the difficult reality of arranging his final farewell.”
A candlelight vigil was held on Wednesday in Victoria Park, where friends and family were able to pay their respects to Edwards.
A high school friend of Malik, Zoe Patterson, attended the vigil and says many people that knew him were in attendance.
“I’ll never forget the night a drunk man downtown was trying to follow me home late at night and Malik came out of nowhere to pretend as if he had been looking for me to scare the guy away,” says Patterson. “Then (Malik) walked me home to make sure I was safe.”
“I just want people to know how much he cared about everyone around him and made sure he always stuck up for people who needed it,” she says.
Another high school friend, Liam Goodreau, says he and Malik would often go skating together.
“I hope the announcement that someone is being charged and held accountable for Malik’s death helps the family begin healing,” says Goodreau. “I can’t begin to imagine how hard it is for them. Malik was such a passionate, generous person.”
Lucan Kohut attended the vigil on Wednesday and says some of his favourite memories with Malik were also made while skating at Victoria Park.
“The vigil was good, but also hard and emotional,” says Malik’s friend Lucan Kohut. “It was very moving to see everyone come together and celebrate the time we had with him.”
“It’s definitely relieving knowing that (Enongene) is being charged with manslaughter,” says Kohut. “Malik was young and he had a very long, promising life ahead of him.”
Enongene was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on May 16.
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