Schoolboy stab victim, 14, 'was attacked by gang'

A 14-year-old boy who bled to death from a single stab wound to the stomach is the youngest of 25 teenagers murdered in London this year. Shaquille Smith died after being attacked by a group of youths while walking a dog with his sister, Tahira, 16, and an 18-year-old friend outside his home in Hackney, east London, on Saturday.

Several family members came to his aid, including his mother, but Shaquille died in hospital on Sunday morning. Tahira, who suffered knife wounds to her face and neck, was discharged from hospital yesterday. The friend escaped unhurt.

Police said they were exploring the possibility the attack was gang-related but said there was no evidence that either Shaquille, an army cadet, or his sister were involved with gangs.

Detective Inspector Carl Mehta said he was appealing for witnesses who may have seen a group of between 10 and 15 youths wearing hooded tops and dark clothing and riding bicycles in the area. Residents said they saw around 15 youths on bikes attack Smith as he sat on a bench in a small park in front of his house.

A friend, who did not want to be named, said there had been a violent feud between a gang from the London Fields area and another from the E9 postcode but that Shaquille had not been involved. "Shaq's a good guy, the class clown. Everyone knew him, but for good reasons. I'm just totally shocked. His family are devastated. They are very quiet and don't want to talk to anyone," he said. "This isn't a feud - it's a war now. It's gone from fist fights to knives to guns and back to knives."

Mark Simmons, head of Operation Blunt 2, the Metropolitan police's anti-knife unit, said the stabbing left him depressed and worried. Speaking at the launch of an advert encouraging teenagers to stop carrying knives, he said: "Right now the number of teenagers dying violently on London streets is depressing. Anyone who lives in London cannot help but feel down about these murders."

The operation, which began in May, has seen 1,900 knives seized in London through stop and search measures and home searches. "People feel we get bogged down by overemphasis on statistics. We are doing things to ensure that the figure does not keep going up. But it takes time to work through and have its impact," said Simmons.

Two other 14-year-olds - David Idowu and Amro Elbadawi - have also been killed this year.