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Teenager dies after latest London stabbing

The victim, believed to be 18, died at the scene after he tried to take cover in a shop.

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Stabbing scene

A teenager has been stabbed to death as he took cover in a shop in the latest killing on the streets of London.

Police said the victim, believed to have been 18, was found with a stab injury in Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush, on Wednesday night.

Scotland Yard said a murder investigation has been launched and officers are looking into the circumstances of the incident, where exactly it took place and who was involved.

Local resident Derek Parks, 64, said the teenager went to a shop and was looking for cover after an incident in the street.

He said: “The fighting happened outside the shop doorway and the gentleman came in from outside. He came into the shop for cover.

“The other guy came into the shop with the knife and stabbed him.

“The guy who got stabbed went towards the basement of the shop and was hiding.”

The knifeman ran and there was “a trail of blood” at the scene, according to Mr Parks, who has lived in the area for 40 years.

Stabbing scene
Uxbridge Road in Shepherd’s Bush (Steve Parsons/PA)

He said: “There is going to be a lot more stabbing on the streets if the Government does not take serious action. It is also down to the parents to keep a check on the children.

“Life is a precious thing which we should all treasure. All life matters.”

Shopkeeper Sully Singh said there was a police cordon in place by the time he got to the store at around 9.45pm on Wednesday after a call from his night staff.

He said: “I got a telephone call from the guys and when I came here everyone was shocked. They said an incident had happened. There was a fight.”

He said the shop’s CCTV had been handed to police.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at about 9.20pm, along with paramedics and the London Air Ambulance. The teenager died at the scene a short time later.

It is the latest in a series of violent incidents in the capital, which saw five killings in six days earlier this month.

Detective Inspector Luke Wyllie said: “A young man’s life has been tragically cut short.

“Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this very difficult time. We are doing everything we can to apprehend those involved.

“Extra police and specialist units are working on the ground now to build a clearer picture of what took place and work to protect and reassure those in the local community.”

A Section 60 order – which gives police the power to stop and search people in a designated area – has been put in place in Shepherd’s Bush and Notting Hill until Thursday afternoon.

Mohamed Abdulkadir said he knew the victim from when he was about 12 to 14, and had taught him at a mosque.

Mr Abdulkadir described the teenager as “very quiet” with a “good upbringing” and a mother who would always help him.

He added: “He wasn’t a gullible kid who could be easily influenced.”

Mr Abdulkadir said: “I am surprised that it is him, but I am not surprised that another child has been stabbed.”

Passers-by began laying floral tributes outside the shop, including a teenager who laid a bunch of bright mixed flowers.

He did not wish to be identified but said the dead youngster was his friend, that he was “just ordinary and quiet” and was not involved in trouble.

Attached to a cluster of yellow tulips was a message from someone who signed themselves as “a mum”.

She wrote: “So sorry to hear of yet another senseless killing.

“Lives for all involved will never be the same again. The pain won’t leave. It is lifelong, truly a waste of a young life/lives.

“Look around you and life goes, then ask yourself what have you done to improve it.

“Killings killings killings.”

Father Richard Bastable, from nearby St Luke Church, praised police efforts to keep the community safe but said there are still “challenges”.

He said: “The challenge is and my question would be: what is happening to protect people and ensure we do not get to this stage rather than just responding to incidents once they have happened?

“I am saddened that I am not surprised. This is about the third stabbing in this area in the last 18 months and we all know that we are well into double figures in terms of stabbings in London this year.”

He described the area as a “lively, dynamic and healthy community” but the latest stabbing “just makes people concerned about safety and security in our streets”.

Police were informing the teenager’s next of kin and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

The death follows the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Edward Simpson in Feltham, west London, last Friday.

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