A stabbing at a London apartment complex that claimed the life of a 45-year-old man has become the city’s first homicide of the year. London police reported receiving multiple 911 calls around 10:30 p.m. Monday evening. “Officers arrived shortly thereafter and located an adult male in a hallway of an apartment building,” said Acting Det. Insp. Adam Steele with the London Police Service. The focus of investigation is on a complex at the corner of Dundas Street and Hewitt Street in the Old East Village. According to Steele, “Officers attempted lifesaving measures on that male, and he was transported to London Health Sciences Center where, unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries and has since died.” Police have identified the victim as 45-year-old Brandon Christopher Jamieson Nichols. Residents who live near the apartment complex at 745 Dundas St. say the building consistently attracts the attention of police. “It’s getting ridiculous how much crime is going on there. A shooting in there. Drug deals go on,” said Nicholas Jeffery, who lives two doors south of the apartment building. Jeffery was watching hockey when he heard a commotion that he believes was linked to the stabbing. “I heard, like, screaming, and then all of a sudden there’s a whole bunch of sirens,” he recalled. The building does have surveillance cameras on site, and Steele tells CTV News police continue to gather other evidence. “As with any investigation surveillance footage, video cameras, any dash cam photos; those all form part of the evidence collection process in terms of trying to determine exactly what happened and who is responsible for this. And that is part of our investigation,” he said. Steele says at this point police aren’t releasing any suspect information. “We are appealing to the public that if they have any information that may help us identify a suspect in this incident, to call the London Police Service or Crimestoppers,” he said.
