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.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Two more teenagers killed in weekend knife violence
A 14-year-old boy bled to death yesterday after suffering a single stab wound to the stomach when he and his sister were attacked by a group of youths outside their home in east London.
Shaquille Maitland-Smith was found shortly before midnight on Saturday, metres from his home in St Thomas's Place, in Hackney. His 16-year-old sister, known as Titi, also suffered knife wounds and remains in hospital in a stable condition.
Their aunt, Jackie Green, said Shaquille had been sitting outside near his house when a group of youths walked past and attacked him. "I don't think the others realised Shaquille had been stabbed at first, they thought he had just been punched," she said.
Earlier, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death at a party in Liverpool. He was later named as Luke Howard.
Both fatalities will increase political pressure on the government and police to tackle the rash of knife crimes among young people.
The Metropolitan police confirmed that Shaquille was the 20th teenager stabbed to death - and the 25th teenage homicide - in London so far this year. Last year 26 teenagers were killed in the capital.
A neighbour in Hackney, who did not wish to be identified, told the Guardian he had been watching television late on Saturday evening and often heard scuffles.
"It's quite normal to hear teenagers getting excited," he said. "There's a row of Georgian houses surrounded by estates. It's where different gangs meet up. [On Saturday] there were a few strong words followed by a commotion. I looked outside. The boy was down but conscious. He was stabbed near my house, but dragged himself along to collapse outside his home. His family, his mother and sisters, were with him. The ambulance was there within 10 minutes."
Shaquille was taken to hospital, but died early yesterday morning.
In Liverpool, a 15-year-old boy was charged with murdering Luke Howard and is due to appear at Liverpool youth court today. Police were called to a house in Ashcombe Road, Old Swan, just after 7am on Saturday, Merseyside police said. There had been an argument at a party. Police appealed for people at the party to contact officers investigating Howard's murder.
In London, a 16-year-old boy was last night charged with the murder of Charles Junior Hendricks, 18, who was stabbed in Walthamstow, north-east London last month. Two other boys, 16 and 17, remained in police custody. A 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old have been bailed until late September.
Shaquille Maitland-Smith was found shortly before midnight on Saturday, metres from his home in St Thomas's Place, in Hackney. His 16-year-old sister, known as Titi, also suffered knife wounds and remains in hospital in a stable condition.
Their aunt, Jackie Green, said Shaquille had been sitting outside near his house when a group of youths walked past and attacked him. "I don't think the others realised Shaquille had been stabbed at first, they thought he had just been punched," she said.
Earlier, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death at a party in Liverpool. He was later named as Luke Howard.
Both fatalities will increase political pressure on the government and police to tackle the rash of knife crimes among young people.
The Metropolitan police confirmed that Shaquille was the 20th teenager stabbed to death - and the 25th teenage homicide - in London so far this year. Last year 26 teenagers were killed in the capital.
A neighbour in Hackney, who did not wish to be identified, told the Guardian he had been watching television late on Saturday evening and often heard scuffles.
"It's quite normal to hear teenagers getting excited," he said. "There's a row of Georgian houses surrounded by estates. It's where different gangs meet up. [On Saturday] there were a few strong words followed by a commotion. I looked outside. The boy was down but conscious. He was stabbed near my house, but dragged himself along to collapse outside his home. His family, his mother and sisters, were with him. The ambulance was there within 10 minutes."
Shaquille was taken to hospital, but died early yesterday morning.
In Liverpool, a 15-year-old boy was charged with murdering Luke Howard and is due to appear at Liverpool youth court today. Police were called to a house in Ashcombe Road, Old Swan, just after 7am on Saturday, Merseyside police said. There had been an argument at a party. Police appealed for people at the party to contact officers investigating Howard's murder.
In London, a 16-year-old boy was last night charged with the murder of Charles Junior Hendricks, 18, who was stabbed in Walthamstow, north-east London last month. Two other boys, 16 and 17, remained in police custody. A 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old have been bailed until late September.
Met police launches anti-knife push
The Metropolitan police is to launch a major TV campaign, Operation Blunt, in a bid to get young people to think about the consequences of carrying a knife.
Unveiled today by the Met at an event near Leicester Square in central London, the campaign will be led by a 90-second TV ad that breaks tonight.
The TV ads will be shown exclusively on Viacom channel MTV for two weeks.
The Met's push follows fatal stabbings that have claimed the lives of more than 20 young people in London this year.
Ad agency MCBD's TV commercial aims to show young people that carrying a knife can escalate minor situations into potentially lethal ones.
The ad, which uses the strapline "Carry a knife and the consequences will follow", tells the story of a young boy at home who nonchalantly slips a knife into his pocket and heads out.
As he walks through a council estate a range of people, from police and paramedics to disdainful schoolmates and a funeral procession, become a crowd following him.
At the end of the ad he turns around and is confronted by a mass of people who have all been affected by his involvement in a stabbing.
The TV campaign will be supported by 30-second radio ads on Kiss and Choice, online advertising, school posters, flyers and events in London.
Media planning and buying for the campaign was handled by agency Mediacom, with a website, www.droptheweapons.org, developed by digital firm Elvis.
Unveiled today by the Met at an event near Leicester Square in central London, the campaign will be led by a 90-second TV ad that breaks tonight.
The TV ads will be shown exclusively on Viacom channel MTV for two weeks.
The Met's push follows fatal stabbings that have claimed the lives of more than 20 young people in London this year.
Ad agency MCBD's TV commercial aims to show young people that carrying a knife can escalate minor situations into potentially lethal ones.
The ad, which uses the strapline "Carry a knife and the consequences will follow", tells the story of a young boy at home who nonchalantly slips a knife into his pocket and heads out.
As he walks through a council estate a range of people, from police and paramedics to disdainful schoolmates and a funeral procession, become a crowd following him.
At the end of the ad he turns around and is confronted by a mass of people who have all been affected by his involvement in a stabbing.
The TV campaign will be supported by 30-second radio ads on Kiss and Choice, online advertising, school posters, flyers and events in London.
Media planning and buying for the campaign was handled by agency Mediacom, with a website, www.droptheweapons.org, developed by digital firm Elvis.
14-year-old boy stabbed to death in Hackney, east London
A 14-year-old boy has been stabbed to death in Hackney, east London, Scotland Yard said today.
He was taken to an East London hospital after suffering a single stab wound to the stomach in St Thomas's place at 11.45pm last night but died just before 8.15am this morning.
A 16-year-old girl suffered slash wounds during the incident and is in hospital in a stable condition. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
No one has been arrested in connection with the incident. A post mortem examination is due to take place at midday tomorrow.
He was the 25th teenager to have been killed in the capital this year, and the 18th to have died after being stabbed.
It follows the death of Luke Howard in Liverpool yesterday after being stabbed following an argument at a party in the Old Swan area of the city.
A 15-year-old boy who handed himself in at a police station was yesterday arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to Luke's death.
He was taken to an East London hospital after suffering a single stab wound to the stomach in St Thomas's place at 11.45pm last night but died just before 8.15am this morning.
A 16-year-old girl suffered slash wounds during the incident and is in hospital in a stable condition. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
No one has been arrested in connection with the incident. A post mortem examination is due to take place at midday tomorrow.
He was the 25th teenager to have been killed in the capital this year, and the 18th to have died after being stabbed.
It follows the death of Luke Howard in Liverpool yesterday after being stabbed following an argument at a party in the Old Swan area of the city.
A 15-year-old boy who handed himself in at a police station was yesterday arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to Luke's death.
Teenager stabbed to death after party row
A murder investigation has been launched after a 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death following an argument at a party in Liverpool.
Police were called to a house in Ashcombe Road, Old Swan, just after 7am today where they discovered the youth had been stabbed, a spokeswoman for Merseyside police said. He died in hospital.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being questioned by detectives.
A Home Office post-mortem examination is due to take place.
Superintendent Graham Yip of Merseyside police said: "It appears that this incident took place following an argument at a party at this property.
"We are appealing for anyone who was at the address during the course of this party to come forward and make contact with the police.
"House-to-house inquiries are ongoing and there is a high visibility police presence in the area."
Police were called to a house in Ashcombe Road, Old Swan, just after 7am today where they discovered the youth had been stabbed, a spokeswoman for Merseyside police said. He died in hospital.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being questioned by detectives.
A Home Office post-mortem examination is due to take place.
Superintendent Graham Yip of Merseyside police said: "It appears that this incident took place following an argument at a party at this property.
"We are appealing for anyone who was at the address during the course of this party to come forward and make contact with the police.
"House-to-house inquiries are ongoing and there is a high visibility police presence in the area."
Notting Hill: Weapons seized as violence mars carnival
The haul of weapons confiscated at the weekend's Notting Hill carnival included knives, a Taser gun, CS spray and a baseball bat, police said yesterday.
Officers patrolling the annual event arrested 330 people and stopped a further 151 potential troublemakers from travelling to west London.
Although the Metropolitan police said their "proactive" approach had worked well, and more than a million people celebrated, the end of the street party on Monday night was marred by battles between police and 40 youths throwing bricks and bottles.
Chief Inspector Jo Edwards said the crackdown - which included deploying knife scanner arches around the tube network - had helped ensure most of the weekend's 850,000 visitors enjoyed the event peacefully.
Officers patrolling the annual event arrested 330 people and stopped a further 151 potential troublemakers from travelling to west London.
Although the Metropolitan police said their "proactive" approach had worked well, and more than a million people celebrated, the end of the street party on Monday night was marred by battles between police and 40 youths throwing bricks and bottles.
Chief Inspector Jo Edwards said the crackdown - which included deploying knife scanner arches around the tube network - had helped ensure most of the weekend's 850,000 visitors enjoyed the event peacefully.
Turf war theory in knife murder of teenager
A teenager stabbed to death near the site of a planned Olympics party may have found himself in the middle of a turf war, it emerged yesterday.
Charles Junior Hendricks, 18, became the 24th teenager to be murdered in the capital this year when he was attacked near a bus garage in Walthamstow, east London, early on Sunday. He was taken to Whipps Cross hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Organisers of the London Olympics had intended to show the closing ceremony of the Beijing games on a giant screen near the scene, but police cordoned off the area following the stabbing.
Yesterday, his friends said CJ, as he was known, was not a gang member but the victim of rivalry between two groups.
One woman, visiting the spot where he was killed, said: "It's called gang war. He wasn't in a gang himself, but he got caught up in something that was going on, he was in between something."
Charles Junior Hendricks, 18, became the 24th teenager to be murdered in the capital this year when he was attacked near a bus garage in Walthamstow, east London, early on Sunday. He was taken to Whipps Cross hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Organisers of the London Olympics had intended to show the closing ceremony of the Beijing games on a giant screen near the scene, but police cordoned off the area following the stabbing.
Yesterday, his friends said CJ, as he was known, was not a gang member but the victim of rivalry between two groups.
One woman, visiting the spot where he was killed, said: "It's called gang war. He wasn't in a gang himself, but he got caught up in something that was going on, he was in between something."
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