“much-loved” 15-year-old woman died after being stabbed within the neck with a foot-long knife in the course of the morning rush hour, a witness has mentioned.
Safety employee Victor Asare informed the PA information company that blood ran “like water” and members of the general public rushed to assist after the woman was attacked in Croydon, south London, on Wednesday.
A 17-year-old boy who knew the sufferer has been arrested.
Mr Asare mentioned: “The blood was coming like water.
“Lots of people got here, everybody got here off the bus. (The suspect) ran away. All people was crying and screaming. The woman was on the ground.
“We tried to catch him and lots of people tried to save lots of the woman. I used to be so shocked, I used to be shaken. It’s any person’s daughter.
“I completed work however couldn’t sleep, so got here again, I wished to see if the woman was OK.”
He mentioned that the woman, who was carrying a inexperienced college blazer, seemed as if she “didn’t need the boy to come back nearer” earlier than he stabbed her with a knife that was “black, skinny and a couple of foot lengthy”.
Emergency services have been referred to as to Wellesley Highway in Croydon at round 8.30am to studies that the woman had been stabbed.
Each the land and air ambulance attended however she was pronounced lifeless on the scene 50 minutes later.
A bus driver and a passer-by have been seen desperately making an attempt to save lots of the woman earlier than emergency providers arrived, with police on the scene in Wellesley Highway in Croydon inside two minutes.
A mom of two, who wished to be named solely as Bridget, mentioned: “I used to be on the bus earlier than and got here off and walked again down, I noticed them resuscitating her.
“The driving force was holding her, and a girl.
“The emergency providers have been already right here after I walked again.”
She mentioned two different schoolgirls, believed to be the sufferer’s mates, have been making an attempt to get again via the police cordon however have been held again.
James Watkins, from Mainz World which runs prevention and intervention tasks for kids and younger individuals, was with the woman’s household on the scene between 9am and 10am.
He mentioned: “They have been devastated and I’d say extra importantly in shock, I don’t suppose it feels actual for them.”
The arrested boy had been recognized to local people teams for the previous couple of years, Anthony King, who’s chairnab of native violence discount partnership My Ends, mentioned.
The woman who died was a pupil at Outdated Palace of John Whitgift Faculty, a personal ladies’ college in Croydon.
She was on observe to cross her GCSE exams in the summertime, Mr King informed PA.
The varsity launched an announcement that mentioned: “We’re deeply shocked by the mindless and tragic loss of life of our much-loved and valued pal and pupil.
“It’s going to take a while for the Outdated Palace neighborhood to come back to phrases with this horrible information, and we are going to provide help to our pupils as we strive to take action.
“Above all, we ship our love and deepest sympathies to the woman’s household at this unimaginably distressing time.”
A big police cordon was in place because the police investigation into the stabbing continued, with forensics officers and a canine handler amongst these working on the scene.
A purple double decker bus on route 60, three police automobiles and a couple of dozen officers, in addition to a forensics tent, could possibly be seen within the taped off space exterior the Whitgift Centre.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain mentioned: “That is each mum or dad’s worst nightmare, and I do know the officers who responded this morning, together with our emergency service colleagues, are devastated on the sufferer’s loss of life.
“That is an emotion I share and I do know individuals throughout Croydon might be feeling the identical.
“The sufferer’s household has been knowledgeable and our ideas are with them at what should be an extremely tough time.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan mentioned he was “completely heartbroken” on the information of the woman’s loss of life.
Witnesses or anybody with data can contact police on 101 quoting reference CAD 1601/27Sep, and to stay nameless can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or on-line.
