A teenage boy has been stabbed to death in Hackney after a large-scale machete fight broke out following a house party on Bank Holiday Monday evening, with reports of possible gunshots also bringing police and air ambulance crews racing to the scene.
Officers were called to Towpath Walk in Hackney at 7.17pm on Monday 25 May following reports of a large group of people armed with machetes and signs of serious disorder. The Met said the trouble began during a house party taking place on the same street. While officers were responding, further calls came in reporting a stabbing and possible firearms discharges in the area.
The boy, whose age the Metropolitan Police have not yet confirmed, was found with stab wounds in nearby Poplar Close. Despite the attendance of both the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives are working to formally identify the victim and inform his next of kin.
A large crime scene spanning Towpath Walk, Poplar Close and surrounding streets has been put in place as officers carry out urgent enquiries. Detective Chief Inspector Ben Massink, of the Met’s Specialist Crime command, said: “Our thoughts remain with the victim and his family — we are working at pace to ensure all his loved ones are informed and offered specialist support from officers. For members of the local community, who will no doubt be shocked and saddened by the events of yesterday evening, increased police patrols are in place in the area.”
He added that a significant number of people had been present in the area at the time and that some individuals had filmed the incident on their mobile phones. He made a direct appeal for anyone with footage to come forward rather than post it to social media, saying: “I would urge anyone who witnessed what happened or who has footage of the incident to come forward to police — your information could be vital. I would also ask those with videos or photographs not to post this on social media out of respect for the bereaved family.”
The killing comes just weeks after Morrisons became the first UK supermarket to stop selling sharp-pointed kitchen knives in response to the knife crime epidemic, and as police recorded 49,151 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument last year — a figure up 50 per cent over the past decade. No arrests have been made in connection with Monday night’s stabbing.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting reference CAD 6692/25May, or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
