Nottingham has been rocked by a night of violence after two teenagers were stabbed within hours of one another just two miles apart in separate attacks. The first incident in Oakdale Road in Carlton saw a 17-year-old boy taken to hospital.
And in another stabbing, this time in Netherfield, a 19-year-old man was attacked in Victoria Street. Police say the two stabbings are not believed to be linked and have moved to reassure the public in the wake of what happened.
Both victims received injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. Police confirmed that no arrests have been made in relation to either investigation.
Read more: Teen walked back to shop for help after being 'stabbed in hip'
At around 6pm on Monday (April 11) police were called to Oakdale Road, where a Nottingham shop worker had come to the aid of the teenager who had been stabbed outside of his off-licence. The boy had been to the Kurd Off License store before he was said to have been attacked by two males after they had also been in the shop, according to its owner.
Sardar Latif, who was not in the shop at the time, told Nottinghamshire Live that a shop assistant helped the victim. Mr Latif said: "My colleague got him some tissues. He'd been stabbed in the hip but was still standing when the ambulance arrived. I don't think they tried to kill him but they tried to hurt him."
Just hours later, at around 10.25pm, police were contacted again - this time to Victoria Road in Netherfield where a 19-year-old man had been stabbed in the stomach. Police say they are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry and looking at CCTV footage as they try to find a male suspect who they believe may be responsible for the attack.
Lynn Turner, shop manager at Nisa, a convenience store in Victoria Road, said: “It happened opposite the bus stop. There was another one on Oakdale Road too last night, involving a 17-year-old lad. There was a police helicopter. One of the builders came in and told us that. It’s normally nice and quiet and a nice place to live, but things have started happening.”
Meanwhile, James Tuxford, who works for Robin Tuxford Butcher in Victoria Road, explained he grew up in Netherfield and that it wasn't a bad area. "You get kids on motorbikes flying through but that’s about it. It’s a decent area and it’s a shame when you hear something like that has happened, I hope they’re all alright.”
Detective Inspector Richard Guy, of Nottinghamshire Police, said after the Netherfield stabbing: “I’d like to reassure people that we treat all reports involving weapon-enabled violence with the utmost seriousness and will always do everything we can to keep people safe. If anyone has information that can help us find those responsible more quickly I would urge them call 101 now. Their information could be vital to help us with our investigation."
Speaking after the Carlton incident, Inspector Ben Lawrence said: "We know incidents of this nature cause a great deal of concern, however I would like to reassure the community that this incident is being treated seriously. We are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry and we have increased patrols in the area to provide reassurance to the public while we carry on with our work."
Anyone with information about the Oakdale Road stabbing is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident 627 of April 11. To pass on information about the Netherfield stabbing, the incident number is 816. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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