High Street murder: Tributes paid to 'shining light' who was stabbed to death in Sheffield city centre

Mohamed Issa Koroma, aged 24, died after being stabbed in broad daylight on High Street last Friday, September 17, despite the best efforts of members of the public, police officers and paramedics to save him.

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A close friend of Mohamed's, who asked to remain anonymous, described him as a 'shining light'.

They told how he grew up in Sierra Leone before moving to the Netherlands and later coming to the UK as a teenager with his family. After a brief time in London, he moved to Sheffield, where he lived in the city centre, around eight years ago.

He attended City College and then Hillsborough College, where he completed a BTEC in business, the friend said.

He had a number of jobs, including working as a waiter at various restaurants, at Omega Food Store on the Wicker, and most recently at a call centre for Ant Marketing.

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But Mohamed’s friend told how his goal had been to open his own business - a clothing company named Sincerity.

“He had so much ambition and so many goals he wanted to accomplish in life,” they said.

“He was a very happy soul. Even though things were going on in his life, he always pushed them to one side and focused on making other people happy.

“He never wanted to argue. He was always the peacemaker who wanted to sort out problems for everyone.

“He was a shining light who brightened up everyone else's lives.

“I can't believe he's gone. Everyone's in shock and he's missed by so many people, who have a lot of questions that they want the answers to.”

Mohamed's friend told how he loved watching action movies and was a keen football player, who supported Chelsea.

His friend added: “He wanted to help people find the solutions to their problems and to tell them that whatever they were going through wasn't permanent.

“Helping people was what drove him.”

Another friend, who also asked to remain anonymous, described Mohamed as ‘friendly’, ‘helpful’ and ‘respectful’, and said everyone who knew him was ‘devastated’ by his death.

She told how she is a coordinator at a city centre foodbank, where he would often help out.

“He was always very friendly and helpful, always polite and pleasant, and a very respectful guy,” she said.

“He was quick to volunteer if there was anything to do. I got to know him quite well and took him under my wing a bit.

“Everyone’s still in a state of shock and we’re all devastated.”

A witness, meanwhile, has told how a brave 14-year-old girl was the first person on the scene and had tried in vain to save him by applying pressure to the stab wound before police and paramedics arrived.

James Lee, aged 31, of Doncaster Road, Rotherham, appeared in court on Monday charged with the murder of Mr Koroma.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Sheffield Crown Court today.

Police are still appealing for information as they continue to investigate. Anyone who thinks they can help is asked to call 101 and quote incident number 585 of September 17.