A postmortem examination has found that Hendon FC midfielder Ezekiel Williams died of a head injury following an incident in Milton Keynes on Sunday morning.
Williams, 26, was injured in the early hours of Sunday, November 1, and died the following day. Thames Valley Police said a Home Office postmortem examination took place on Thursday, November 5, and found the cause of death was a head injury.
Police stressed that the cause of death is preliminary and may be subject to further investigation.
Williams joined Hendon FC in September and played as a midfielder for the north-west London club. The club described the 26-year-old as a “hard-working and selfless” player and postponed its London Senior Cup tie as a mark of respect.
A fundraiser set up in his memory also paid tribute to him as a humble, family-oriented man who took pride in helping others.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the investigation. A 21-year-old man and a 28-year-old man, both from Luton, were arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody. A 30-year-old man from Luton, who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on conditional court bail.
Detective Inspector Rob Underhill, from the Major Crime Unit, said: “We are continuing to support the family of Ezekiel, and our thoughts remain with them, and all of Ezekiels close circle of friends.”
Thames Valley Police renewed its appeal for witnesses on November 5. Officers are seeking anyone who was in the area of Midsummer Boulevard and The Hub between 1am and 2am on Sunday, and are particularly interested in speaking to people who witnessed an altercation or captured mobile phone footage, dashcam footage or CCTV recordings in the area.
Detective Inspector Underhill said: “We have been reviewing CCTV and evidential material from the incident but are keen to speak to anybody who witnessed the incident, which occurred shortly before 2am on Sunday morning.”
Information can be provided through the Thames Valley Police website or by calling 101, quoting reference 43260570882. Anonymous reports can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or through its website.
The timeline of the case so far runs from the incident shortly before 2am on Sunday, November 1, to Williams’s death the following day, the arrests of three men from Luton, and the postmortem examination on Thursday, November 5, which established the head injury as the cause of death. The investigation continues, with the cause of death still described as preliminary.
Read our earlier report on the death of Ezekiel Williams and the arrests that followed, and our report on three people injured in a stabbing at Harrow on the Hill station.
