Inquest opens into death of Sheffield stabbing victim whose body was left at A&E

An inquest opened today into the death of a Sheffield man who was left outside a hospital after being stabbed.
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Senior coroner David Urpeth told the court that 22-year-old Albanian national Armend Xhika, of 37 Curtain Road, was found outside the A&E department of the Northern General Hospital at 8:08pm on May 13 ‘in a collapsed state with stab wounds’.

Mr Urpeth said that medics rushed to help the man and took him inside the hospital for emergency open heart surgery, but he was declared dead at 8.38pm.

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Witnesses reported that a car drove up to the emergency department and its occupants unloaded a body onto the ground before driving off. A murder investigation has been launched.

Armend Xhika was stabbed to death in SheffieldArmend Xhika was stabbed to death in Sheffield
Armend Xhika was stabbed to death in Sheffield

The inquest also heard that at 7.52pm on May 13 police had been called to reports of a disturbance on Earl Marshal Road in Fir Vale involving a number of men, vehicles and weapons. It is believed that it was during this disturbance that Mr Xhika was stabbed.

Police officers took to the streets to deal with the violence but those involved had fled before they arrived.

In addition to Armend’s fatal injuries, another young man also suffered serious knife wounds in the street brawls and was hospitalised.

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South Yorkshire Police said: “Armend was dropped off at the Northern General Hospital in a vehicle. The vehicle involved has been recovered for forensic enquiries and the driver was arrested.”

The inquest has been adjourned until August 24, awaiting the findings of the police investigation and post mortem reports.

Five arrests have been made so far as part of the murder probe.

A man in his 30s arrested on suspicion of murder has been released under investigation.

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A second man in his 30s and a man in his 20s, who were also arrested on suspicion of murder, have been released without charge along with a man in his 20s arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and a woman in her 20s arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Anyone with information about the murder should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote incident number 857 of May 13.