A 15-year-old British girl was stabbed to death on her way to school just moments after she rejected flowers from a boy, according to reports.
The victim – who has not been publicly named – was on his way to school on Wednesday morning when he was attacked on a high street in Croydon, South London, the BBC reported.
The girl was targeted after she allegedly refused flowers from a boy from another nearby school, eyewitnesses told the Telegraph.
The argument initially started between the teenager, his friends, and students from another school on a double-decker bus, and then continued on the sidewalk outside the mall, witnesses said.
The girl was pronounced dead on the sidewalk despite emergency teams trying to save her life, the outlet added.
Police forensic officers at the scene of the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old girl in Croydon.Getty Images
Her devastated friends were left to share the news of her death with her parents, who did not arrive at the scene until later, youth worker James Watkins told the Telegraph.
“[The family] shocked and devastated, it didn’t feel real to them. They said a lot of things — it was shock and disbelief,” Watkins said of the victim’s relatives.
A 17-year-old man was later arrested in New Addington and remains in custody, Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain said at a press conference at the scene, the Telegraph reported.
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene, witnesses said.Getty Images
The Old Palace of John Whitgift, a private school in the area, confirmed that the victim was a student and said the community was shocked by the “senseless and tragic death,” the outlet continued.
“It will take some time for the Istana Lama community to come to terms with this terrible news, and we will offer support to our students as we try to do so,” the heartbreaking statement read.
Within hours of the stabbing, flowers were already on the pavement near the scene to mark the tragedy, photos show.
The argument originally started on a double-decker bus, witnesses said.Getty Images
“I am saddened that a child in my town has been killed on his way to school and I cannot imagine the grief his family must be going through at this time,” Croydon MP Sarah Jones said in a statement.
“We all hold our children together and our community will take time to grieve, but for today we are thinking only of this young girl and her family. I am sorry.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Greatest Hits Radio that he was “absolutely heartbroken” by the teenager’s death, and vowed to “end the scourge of knife crime in our city,” the BBC reported.
The teenager is a student at Old Palace of John Whitgift, a private school in the area. Old Palace of John Whitgift Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain confirmed that a 17-year-old suspect is in custody. ZUMAPRESS.com
Local residents expressed frustration at the ongoing wave of violent crime in the area.
“This will happen again next week, and next month, it will happen to someone else,” said passerby Christopher Ita.
“It happens too often in this area. I don’t understand how this morning a little girl could be stabbed,” added resident Georgina Slater.
“I don’t know what the police are doing … they’re getting younger,” he continued.
“We need intervention, we need stuff for kids, they don’t have guidance. The police show up when this happens — where is the intervention in the school?”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
