Bars in Copenhagen’s Kødbyen district held a minute of silence last night to mark the tragic death the night before of 21-year-old Jonas Thomsen Sekyere.
Sekyere, a law-student at the University of Copenhagen, was stabbed repeatedly in the nightclub Bakken at around 4:40am and succumbed to his wounds several hours later in hospital.
The nightclub is now closed indefinitely and at midnight last night around a dozen people had gathered outside its closed doors where candles and flowers had been left.
A Facebook group started in remembrance of Sekyere had over 5,000 members today and many left messages expressing sadness at his passing.
“Dear Jonas, I was spellbound by you from the moment I met you. I thought you were charismatic, good and beautiful,” one friend wrote.
Sekyere was born to a Ghanaian father and Danish mother who had psychological problems. As a 10-year old, he was taken in by a foster family, with which he stayed until he finished upper secondary as a straight A student.
In an article penned for Politiken newspaper last year, he describes how he owed a great deal to the Danish welfare state for providing him with the support he needed.
“Thanks for every hard-earned kroner that has been thrown into the money pot because without it I wouldn’t be here today. Even though I was born poor, today I live a rich life.”
Copenhagen Police say that they are still collecting evidence in the hunt for the perpetrator.
“We have received a number of tips late on Saturday night that we are following up,” police spokesperson Carsten Arends told Ekstra Bladet newspaper. “We are also still looking through the security tapes. There are a lot of cameras in Kødbyen, which is why it is taking such a long time.”
Any witnesses are invited to get in touch with police by calling 114.
