A man stabbed to death in south London has been named as Patrick Gomes De’Almeida.
Detectives have launched a murder investigation to track down "three masked suspects" after the 25-year-old was killed in Morden on October 1.
Police were called to London Road just before 11pm to reports of a stabbing outside a block of flats.
Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found two men with stab wounds.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Mr De’Almeida was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.26pm. A second man, 33, was taken to hospital, but his injuries were not life-threatening or life-changing.
Officers have reason to believe that three masked suspects assaulted the victim before he was fatally stabbed. They then fled the scene in a car.
The week before Mr De’Almeida's killing, his white Volkswagen Scirocco was deliberately damaged at some point between Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24. Met Police believe the two incidents are linked.
In a statement, his family paid tribute to a "loving, caring' man full of "life and laughter."
“P had a heart of gold. He was loving, caring and full of life and laughter. You always knew when P was in the room. He had the gift of making people smile," it said.
"P will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Life will not be the same. As he always said ‘It’s not a party without P’.”
DCI Helen Rance, who leads the investigation, said: “Patrick’s family are heartbroken that he has been taken from them, and I and my team are working around the clock to piece together what happened and find out who is responsible.
“Those responsible for this vicious attack are dangerous, and I know there are others out there who have information. It is vital that they come forward, whether by speaking to us or anonymously to Crimestoppers, and share what they know.
“I want to speak to anyone who was in the London Road area close to Grosvenor Court and Homefield flats in the evening of Wednesday, 23 September, or in the early hours of Thursday, 24 September, or between 22:00hrs and 23:00hrs on Thursday, 1 October in the same location.
“We are working tirelessly to track down the perpetrators but the public also play a huge role in helping to both prevent and detect crime. We need their help to identify those willing to commit terrible acts and carry weapons.”
No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.
Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting reference Cad 7953/01Oct or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
