ONE TEENAGER died; another remains critically ill. That is not the kind of news that usually greets residents of Bow on a Sunday morning.
This much we know. It was just after midnight on Sunday morning, 4th September, that residents began informing the police that there was some form of disturbance on Lichfield Road, E3. When police arrived, they found two young men who had been stabbed.
The London Ambulance Service and Air Ambulance also attended and gave the two victims medical treatment before taking them to an East London hospital. Sadly, despite the best efforts of medical staff, one of the youngsters died just before 2am. He is believed to have been just 17 years old. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by trained police officers. The second young man is believed to be 17 years old. He remains in hospital, in a critical condition.
Mystery surrounds what happened in Lichfield Street. There are some reports that over 100 people were involved, that some of them were armed with machetes, and that a fight broke out when a group of people tried to gate-crash a party – but police have not yet been able to confirm these details.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers of the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command, who is leading the investigation, said, “This is a highly worrying incident that has left one young man dead and another fighting for his life in hospital. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends at this difficult time.
“I also want to reassure them and the wider community that my team and I are working around the clock to establish exactly what has happened and who is responsible. I would ask anyone who witnessed this incident or may have information that could help our investigation to please get in touch with us and share what you know.
“I am aware of reports saying that about a hundred people, armed with weapons were involved. While I would stress that our investigation is in its very early stages, this information does not appear to be wholly accurate. We know a significant number of people were caught up in this incident but not necessarily directly involved or armed with weapons.”
•Police have appealed to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident to call the Major Incident Room on 020-8345 3715 and quote reference Operation Wildcast. Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111 and give information anonymously.
●Read more about it: Random Hackney stabbings saw man jailed Dogs and guns seized in Chingford
●Watch East London’s weekly news magazine programme, live at 10pm every Tuesday and on demand all week: The Tuesday Show