An elderly man who was riding a mobility scooter has been stabbed to death in west London leaving neighbours “deeply shocked”.
Police were called at 4pm on Tuesday to Cayton Road, Greenford, to reports of a male with stab injuries.
An elderly man - believed to be in his 80s - was found. Despite the efforts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are working to inform his next of kin.
There have been no arrests at this time, police said.
Local Ronaldo Butrus said he believed he was walking past the scene of a crash on the A40 as police cordoned off the area.
He told the Standard: “I thought it was the aftermath of an accident. I really thought the blankets were being used to keep the injured comfortable after a crash.
“Then I found out it was actually a stabbing. Only then did it occur to me that there was a body under those blankets.”
Frasley Coutinho, who lives in Greenford said he saw the victim surrounded by a group of young boys.
He said: "I saw a couple of people gathering around him and then he drove past and stopped further up, and then there was a group of young boys around him."
Mr Coutinho said he caught some of the incident on a CCTV camera but it was obscured by a plant.
"I had a rose plant blocking it so I couldn't see any more," he said.
Shop owner at Greenford Station Hitesh Patel, 62, said the victim would often play accordion on his mobility scooter to raise money for victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He told the Standard: “He always had a Ukraine flag on the front of his basket. It said Help for Ukraine as he played. He was very good, kind man.
“I saw him just before he was killed heading up to the A40 on his scooter I was filling up with petrol but I wish I had said something.
“His wife was also always with him in her mobility scooter. He told me he was Irish and had three sons. It’s so sad. I can’t believe anyone would hurt him in broad daylight like that. We will miss him and his playing around here.”
Another local Tony Paraskeba, 52, said: “It’s so sad. My son loved him he would ask him to blow his horn on the scooter whenever he saw him and he would. “My son is so upset. Why would anyone hurt an old man.”
Simran Advani, 25, a senior property manager said she often saw an elderly man on his mobility scooter passing the the family home.
She said: “We always used to see him on his mobility scooter – he always used to smile, he was a nice old man.
“He often goes round the block, he always went on the road not the pavement. It was dark red.
“We saw him every couple of days.
“This is a very quiet area, you never hear any noise on this street. It’s scary for a man in his 80s to be killed here.
“Most people on this road are elderly, you never hear any noise and never see any young people.
“It was just like a normal day today. There’s a parade of shops just round the corner under the train tracks and through an alley way which he might have been heading from or to.”
Forensic teams are on the scene scouring for clues and a police cordon has been set up around the area near the junction of Cayton Road and Runnymede Gardens.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “My officers are working to understand what has happened to this man, and we need the public’s assistance.
“I’m asking for anyone with dash cam or cycle helmet footage to contact us if they were using the Western Avenue A40 Eastbound in the proximity of Cayton Road and Welland Gardens between 15:15hrs and 16:15hrs.
“The elderly victim, who was riding a mobility scooter, was in the area at the time. If you saw the victim, or captured anyone acting suspiciously in the area, it is imperative that you make contact.”
Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, lead for policing in Ealing, said: "This is an awful incident that will understandably cause considerable alarm to people locally and across London. Our thoughts are with the elderly victim.
"We are supporting our colleagues in Specialist Crime as they work to understand what has happened and identify who is responsible for this horrific crime.
“The support of the public is crucial. Police and the community must work together to identify violent offenders and remove them from our streets.”
