St. Cloud State grad who died after punch remembered as 'role model'

A fundraiser has been launched for the family of the 25-year-old man who died of after an altercation at a party in Minneapolis last weekend. 

Awwal Adebayo Ladipo, 25, died in the hospital last Monday, two days after he was attacked on the 2000 block of Lowry Avenue North. The incident happened in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 24.

Preliminary investigation found that Ladipo had a disagreement with another person that turned into a physical altercation in which the suspect "struck the victim, causing him to fall to the ground."

According to the GoFundMe started on his family's behalf, he was "brutally assaulted by a group of boys" who posted videos of the assault on social media and bragged about it. 

The fundraiser started with a goal of $25,000 to help Ladipo's family with funeral expenses and to "seek justice for Awwal," but has eclipsed that number — raising over $40,000 in just two days. 

Meanwhile, his two younger siblings have been left "devastated by the loss of their big brother who all his life was a role model to them," encouraging them to follow their passions in sports like track and basketball.

The GoFundMe also describes Ladipo as a "highly motivated high achiever" who "majored in Liberal Arts of Science" at St. Cloud State University and had recently started a new IT role while helping run the family business. 

In high school, the fundraiser says, he was "an international track and field athlete," having won several championships. 

His death marked the 50th homicide in Minneapolis so far this year. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner lists his cause of death as "blunt force head trauma."

Per WCCO, no arrests have been made yet and the investigation is ongoing. 

BringMeTheNews has reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department for comment.