A 15-year-old boy has been stabbed to death in north London - the eighth teenager murdered in the capital this year.
Residents heard shouting and saw a group of young men running away from Highbury Fields, Islington’s largest park, shortly before 9pm last night.
Police attended along with paramedics to discover the young male with stab wounds.
He was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital where he sadly died a short time later.
This morning, a heavy police presence remained in the park as half of it was sealed off. Forensic teams trawled the area for clues.
Met Specialist Crime detectives launched a murder investigation and are trying to inform the victim’s next of kin.
There have been no arrests and enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.
A woman living close by said she heard “a lot of commotion, shouting and running”.
She said: “It sounded like a lot of people. I saw boys running up the road, maybe four of them. I don’t know if they were involved or scared.”
Another added: “It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve lived here for 36 years. I’ve noticed it’s got worse - you just have to be aware.”
Islington councillor Paul Convery said: “This is a horror for that boy’s family and a chilling fear in our community.”
One local said on Twitter: “How sad, and scary. I was there running yesterday at about 7pm and I thought that the atmosphere was ‘out of the ordinary’.
“I thought to call the police but then I thought that I was exaggerating and it was all in my head.”
Councillor Caroline Russell posted on social media: “My thoughts with the family and friends of the young person who sadly died last night.”
Islington Council said a police cordon is in place from Highbury Place to Baalbec Road. Highbury Leisure Centre is currently closed.
Eight teenagers have been killed in London since January, compared with 23 by August 5, 2021. Last year 30 youngsters died in a grim post-war record toll.
Before last night, Jeremiah Sewell, 19, was the most recent victim.
Jeremiah was stabbed in the neck as he sat in a parked car in Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham on July 16.
Godfrey Tanishe Madondo, 19, of Colegrove Road, Southwark, and Kadjo Kadio, 18, of Crown Drive, Romford, are charged with his murder.
Two 19-year-old women and a male aged 18 detained on suspicion of murder have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Meanwhile, Omar Mechita, 31, appeared in court yesterday over a March 2019 shooting at a home in west London.
A 30-year-old man received gunshot injuries when a firearm was discharged inside the address on Academy Gardens, Northolt.
He was taken to hospital and discharged following treatment.
Police charged Mechita, of no fixed address, with conspiracy to commit murder after protracted enquiries were carried out to trace him when he failed to return on bail in October 2019.
Separately, four men are still being questioned on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the disappearance of a student nurse.
Owami Davies, 24, of Chafford Hundred, Grays was last seen just after midnight in Derby Road, West Croydon on July 7.
Her desperate family have publicly appealed for help finding her as fears grow for her safety.
Men aged 22, 23, 27 and 32 were arrested in Croydon. Police stressed the case remained a missing persons investigation.
