Witnesses describe moment police ‘stormed into flat’ after man fell to his death

Witnesses have described stormed into a flat after a young man plunged to his death from a five-storey building.

Ryley Harbord, 22, fell from a residential property, in Brewer Street, at around 2am on Saturday, May 3.

His death is being treated as unexpected and an investigation has been launched.

It is understood Ryley had just landed his dream job in a gallery before he plunged to his death.

He had started just weeks before according to locals.

One said: ‘His mother came here she was devastated she wants answers.

She said he was just a nice sweet boy with his future ahead of him.’

Neighbours reported hearing someone speaking on a mobile phone on the roof area before he fell, Metro understands.

Pictures published by police show him at a bar in Soho earlier in the evening, wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and a black gilet.

Another photo released shows Ryley talking to a security guard.

Witnesses have told Metro that moments after Ryley fell, they saw police flood the popular tourist destination and then burst into the block of flats.

They said the Soho street was bustling with revellers enjoying the bars and restaurants over the bank holiday weekend.

A local shop worker told Metro: ‘Police were everywhere trying to get into the front door. They were storming it like a drugs raid or something. We didn’t know what was going on.

‘There were also loads of ambulances. The poor lad was at the back of the building where there is a courtyard area. The police covered the area with a tent. It’s such a shock.

‘There is no balcony out the back we really don’t know what happened. Our hearts obviously go out to the family.’

A resident of a nearby flat added: ‘I hadn’t seen the guy who died around I think he may have been a visitor. There were cops all over the road I wondered if it was a terror incident or something. So sad this has happened here.’

Ryley’s family have posted about his death on social media and described how their ‘world is destroyed’.

One family member posted a tribute and photos and wrote: ‘My world is destroyed. He is my extension, Ryley you are my world, how can I breathe without you breathing, how can I face the world without you in it?

‘The pain is unbearable, please, I can’t do this without you.

‘My baby boy, you always did have a way of causing me the most amount of anxiety and now you have topped it by leaving me on this godforsaken earth to do life without you.

‘I thought you were invincible. I can’t imagine doing every day without you in it. I can’t sleep. I can’t breathe. My very soul is broken. I love you baby boy.’

Other tributes to Ryley include from somebody else who wrote: ‘Ryley was one of a kind. Yes, he had his wild, crazy moments, but that was part of what made him so special. He was a genuinely kind, loving young man.’

Police are appealing for people who saw Ryley or spoke to him on Friday evening to come forward or anyone who contacted him between 7pm on Friday and 2am on Saturday.

Detective Chief Inspector Anne Linton, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘First and foremost, our thoughts are with Ryley’s family as they come to terms with this tragic loss. This is an unimaginably difficult time for them.

‘Soho was bustling at the start of a Bank Holiday, which means there is a likelihood someone saw or spoke to Ryley.

‘If this is you, you may hold really important information that helps us piece together the circumstances surrounding Ryley’s death and we would ask you to please get in touch with us as soon as possible.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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