A teenage boy was stabbed to death in London on Sunday evening, becoming the latest victim of the knife crime epidemic plaguing the British capital.
Police were called to the scene of the stabbing on Eglinton Road in Woolwich, south-east London, at around 6:35 pm on Sunday. Despite attempts to save the boy by paramedics and police, he died shortly thereafter, according to Scotland Yard.
A local witness told the Daily Mail that she heard screams and a person yelling that “someone’s been stabbed”. Following the sounds she came upon the boy, who was face down in the street.
“I turned him over, he had a gash in his head. I just stemmed the flow of blood until the paramedics got here,” she said.
“I was the last one with him – he was going to me: ‘I’m 15, I’m 15, don’t let me die’ and I said to him: ‘You’re not going to die, mate’.”
The witness said that she did not know the victim well, but said that he was “the most polite boy” whenever she had seen him around their neighbourhood.
In a statement, a spokesman for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The mayor’s thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenage boy who has been killed in Woolwich, as well as the wider community.
“This heartbreaking violence has no place in our streets. The mayor is in close contact with police leaders and there will be increased patrols in the local area.”
Since coming into office in 2016, Mayor Khan has overseen a staggering 38 per cent increase of knife crime in London.
According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, knife crime both rose by 20 per cent last year, with 14,626 knife offences being recorded in 2023, nearly 2,500 more than 2022.
There have been no arrests made so far in connection to the stabbing on Sunday.