A man who died after an alleged attack on the Lakeside mall has been described as “the sweetest soul of all” by his grieving mother.
Essex police today confirmed that two people have been charged in connection with the death of 29-year-old Michael Ugwa.
Mr Ugwa of Rainham was reportedly attacked in the food court area shortly before 4.30pm last Thursday (April 28th).
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A man and a woman were arrested on Monday and both have already been charged.
Brandon Luchmansing, 19, of Grafton Road, Dagenham, has been charged with murder and felony criminal mischief.
Shannon Weston, 20, of Padox Close, Canyon, has been charged with aiding and abetting an offender.
The two appeared today (Wednesday, May 4) at the Southend Magistrates’ Court and were detained.
Both are due to appear in court at Basildon Crown on Friday (May 6th).
Paying tribute to Michael, his mother said in a statement: “Michael was a kind person with a great personality and an even bigger heart.
“He was special to many people, so we write with great sorrow about his untimely death.
“There is not a single person among us in his family who does not have a good story or a good memory of Michael and because we receive the condolences of many people.
“We are humbled by how much life he has touched during his short stay on this earth.
“As with many people, he was not a man without guilt, but his desire to always try to improve and strive for a brighter tomorrow made him a rich source of inspiration not only for his children, cousins, nieces and nephews. but also for anyone who wants to see this silver lining.
“From the first one who stepped up when a family member was homeless and took them, to the last one who left when his brother, my son, underwent surgery, you can always count on him to be the most loyal supporter in your a corner, a privilege that those of us, his family, were particularly familiar with.
“He really was a constant gift, a loving and supportive partner to his future wife, a great father of his three children, a caring brother and a pillar of support for me, his mother and the whole family, including his aunts, uncles. and all his cousins.
“He was the sweetest soul of all, as well as the most reliable friend with whom anyone could be blessed.
“Although Michael is gone and the pain of his death will be with us forever, we all choose to be like Michael and seek this silver line in a sea of dark clouds, hoping that the legacy he left us will continue to survive. the pain we are experiencing.
“We thank all those who turned to us during this most painful and sad period of our lives, and offer our own condolences, because it is not only his family who has been hit so hard.
“We express our support for anyone who is as difficult as we are to cope with his death.
“The words themselves can never describe what we, as a family, are going through right now and what we will go through for the rest of our lives.
“For those of us left to collect the pieces, our day suddenly turned into night, our light into darkness and our hearts so indescribably and irreversibly shattered.
“We remain steadfast in our trust in God as we hope that He will give us the peace, grace, and strength we need.
“We also ask that we be given the privacy and space we need to grieve.
“Thank you.”
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Chief Inspector of Childhood Ashley Howard, who is leading the investigation, said: “As these allegations underline, our investigation is progressing but not stopping.
“We still believe that this attack was aimed at the victim and that the incident did not pose a constant threat to people who shop, eat and socialize at Lakeside.
“We continue to make inquiries and we need anyone who has any information who has not identified himself with the police to contact us.
A special portal has been created through which information can be reported.
You can find it here: You can also send a report online to or use the Live Chat button to talk to an online operator between 7:00 and 23:00.
Please cite incident 750 of 28 April.
You can also call the police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
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