Two students are among the dead in a horrific attack which saw three people killed in Nottingham. In a statement the University of Nottingham confirmed that two people studying there were killed, saying staff and students are ‘shocked and devastated’.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police were called to Ilkeston Road just after 4am where two people were found dead in the street. Officers were then called to another incident in Milton Street where a van had attempted to run over three people. They are currently being treated in hospital.
In a statement, the University of Nottingham said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the sudden and unexpected death of two of our students following a major incident in Nottingham city centre overnight. We are shocked and devastated by the news and our thoughts are with those affected, their families and friends.
“We know this is likely to cause distress for staff and students in our community. Support is available through our support and wellbeing services for any of our community who may need it.”
The University of Nottingham Students’ Union confirmed it has cancelled Tuesday’s graduation ball following the attacks in the early hours. The organisation said it was “devastated and shocked” by the attacks that took place, leaving three people dead and three in hospital.
In a statement, the SU said: “We stand in solidarity with all our students and the wider city, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those harmed, alongside those directly and indirectly affected by the unfolding of these terrible events.
“In light of this, we have made the decision to cancel Grad Ball this evening. Attendees will be contacted in due course, but in the meantime we are continuing to work with the university and relevant authorities to understand the situation.”
Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said a vigil has been planned following the attacks.
He told BBC Radio Nottingham: “I believe there’s going to be a vigil outside St Peter’s Church in the square organised by the diocese at 5pm for people to come together to just take in the enormity of what has happened to stand together.
“Nottingham is a city where people get on well together, where people live in harmony, people work together.
“To have this shocking incident break into the harmony is truly awful and whatever the motives we would want to stand against them.”
Nottinghamshire Police are keeping an “open mind” over the motive for the attack in Nottingham and are working alongside their counter-terror colleagues to “establish the facts”.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “This is a tragic series of events which has led to the lives of three innocent people being taken and left another member of the public in a critical condition in hospital.
“My thoughts are with all the families affected by this shocking incident, and we will be working extremely hard to understand exactly what has happened. We are at the early stages of the investigation and need to determine the motives behind these attacks and will keep the public updated as soon as we are able to say more.
“We are keeping an open mind as we investigate the circumstances surrounding these incidents and are working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing to establish the facts – as we would normally do in these types of circumstances. We do have a man in custody who has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Currently, we do not believe there is anyone else involved in this incident.
“It is safe to go into the city centre but there are a number of streets that will remain closed including Ilkeston Road, Magdala Street, Milton Street and Maple Street. This is so officers can gather evidence in order to understand what has happened.”
