A 15-year-old boy stabbed with a machete near his home was attacked in a case of mistaken identity, his friends have claimed.

The murder of Jai Sewell, in Bellingham, south London, was followed by the stabbing and killing of another 17-year-old boy outside Clapham South Tube station, less than 24 hours later.

Jai had been on the way to a chicken shop when he was stabbed with a machete after a group of men jumped out of a car.

A friend of the 15-year-old now claims that he was killed in a 'case of mistaken identity' and that there would be 'reprisals'.

Friends and family have paid tribute to 15-year-old Jai Sewell after he was stabbed to death in south London yesterday afternoon

'Sweet and caring' teenager Jai was stabbed outside a chicken shop.

Jai, also known as Jay Hughes, stumbled into the takeaway and collapsed after he was knifed shortly after 5pm in Bellingham, south London.

Paramedics fought to save him but he died in hospital about three hours later, police have confirmed.

A friend of Jai's said Thursday afternoon’s attack in Bellingham, south-east London, was a case of mistaken identity linked to tit-for-tat gang violence.

The boy was rushed to hospital at around 5.30pm but was later declared dead at 8.15pm

He also claimed that Jai’s cousin was a drill rapper and said: ‘This situation is going to spiral – there will be reprisals.'

Jai's death was followed by the murder of a 17-year-old boy less than 24 hours later.

Officers were called to Clapham South Tube Station in southwest London at 4.35pm on Friday, where they found a 17-year-old boy with a stab wound.

Friends and family members brought floral tributes to the scene of the attack this morning

He was taken to a south London hospital where he died less than an hour later.

London has been struck by several violent incidents over the last few days.

Earlier on Friday, a man suffered gunshot wounds in Barnet, north London and a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in Southwark.

Both are believed to be recovering and in a stable condition.

The 17-year-old killed outside Clapham South station is believed to be the 21st teenager murdered in the capital this year, and the 120th person killed in total.

A 17-year-old boy has died after being stabbed outside Clapham South Tube Station in southwest London

The Tube station and roads around it have been closed with police remaining on scene.

Police officers have confirmed that no arrests have been made yet and they have now launched a murder investigation.

His next of kin have been informed.

Charity director Robin Pritchard was nearby when the stabbing occurred and said he moved through a crowd and saw the victim lying in a pool of blood while someone provided CPR.

Police officers have confirmed that no arrests have been made yet and they have now launched a murder investigation

After the stabbing, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan took to Twitter to share the following statement about the recent killings

The 47-year-old told the Press Association: 'I saw the guy on the floor, a pool of blood like he'd been stabbed in the stomach, his clothes were soaked.

'It was strangely calm and quiet. I think everyone was in shock. Lots of kids there from the local college

'All I really registered were grey tracksuit bottoms which were soaked with a pool of blood coming from his waist like he'd been stabbed in the stomach.'

Another witness who did not want to be named said he saw a man carrying a large knife in a 'bunch of guys' who were shouting and appeared agitated.

He added that the area is usually noisy after students leave nearby Saint Francis Xavier College.

Forensic officers could be seen combing bags and belongings left at the scene for clues as the area remained closed

The station is expected to remain close for the next few hours with road closures causing gridlock

A photo taken from a nearby building seemed to show the aftermath of the stabbing, with items strewn over the road

He said: 'I had no idea it was different to any other time the students get a bit noisy, until I saw the knife as I was literally passing them.'

Following the news, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tweeted: 'My heart goes out to the family and friends of the two teenage boys fatally stabbed in the last two days: a 15 year old in Bellingham and a 17 year old outside Clapham South Tube Station. I am in contact with senior police officers and local representatives in both cases.

'Anyone with information about these incidents should call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Violent crime devastates communities and we're working tirelessly with the Met and others to tackle it.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police were called at approximately 16:35hrs on Friday, 2 November to reports of a stabbing outside Clapham South Tube Station.

'A 17-year-old male was found suffering from a stab wound. He was taken to a south London hospital where his life was pronounced extinct at 17:23 hours.

'Formal identification has not yet taken place and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.'

Any witnesses or people with information should contact police on 101 quoting CAD 5291/02 Nov. To remain anonymous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police forensic teams close off the area around Clapham South underground station to sweep for evidence

Scotland Yard is bracing itself for further violence over bonfire night weekend and has imposed a Section 60 order across the borough of Lewisham.

This allows officers to stop and search without suspicion. Jai’s murder took place hours after a police chief compared some of Britain’s streets to the Wild West.

Jacqueline Sebire, of the National Police Chiefs Council, said 69,000 children aged between ten and 15 suffered stab wounds or other major injuries in the year to June, an increase of 4,000 on the previous year.

She said the ‘constant torrent’ of murders and knife attacks suggested young offenders had total disregard for the consequences of their actions.

Jai lived with his grandmother Sophie Sewell in a three-bedroom house in Bellingham.

Describing what happened to Jai, witness Thomas Coffie, 23, said: 'I was just on my way home from work and I stopped to get something to eat from the chicken shop.

'I heard a bang behind me and turned around and saw him run into the shop. I knew he had been stabbed because of all the blood on his jacket. The boy said to me; 'man is going to die'.

'He fell on the floor, I couldn't stop him falling - I tried to put some pressure on the wounds just to keep him alive until the ambulance arrived.

'I was just holding him, I couldn't see because of all the blood.

Roads around the area were still closed off late into the night as police investigated the scene

Clapham South station was closed followed the stabbing, as were several nearby roads as police cordoned off the scene

'Staff grabbed paper tissues and tried to mop up the blood from his body, but there was just too much.

'He had been cut in his stomach and his chest. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't stay there - I do not feel safe here anymore.'

Jai's aunt Rochelle said that the youngster - who wanted to become a cartoonist - lived with his grandmother and was not involved with gangs.

She told the Evening Standard: 'He said he was going out to get some food and he never came back.'

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Soole, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: 'At this early stage officers are working hard to establish the full circumstances. We know that this was an awful premeditated attack on a young boy who sadly lost his life as a result.

The floor of the takeaway was littered with paramedics equipment after they tried to save him

'I would appeal to anyone with information to get in touch with us. Those responsible must be caught and brought to justice. Any information passed to police will be treated with the strictest confidence.'

Tayla Ann Warwick said she grew up with Jai, who lived on the same road as her grandmother, and said he used to 'love roller skating' and regularly rode his bike around the area.

The 19-year-old said: 'It's so shocking, I spoke to him the other day.

'He was the kindest person, he was so loving and thoughtful, he was well known with everyone.'

Police at the scene where a 15-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death yesterday afternoo

A woman who lives in the same area as Jai, but asked not to be named, said: 'I don't know if he was involved in a gang but I live here and I never thought Bellingham was coming to this.

'It's getting rougher around here.

'I'm just upset because the first thing I thought was that it was my son, I was on my way to the Morley's to get food for my kids, I thought it was my son but it wasn't.'

Deanne Wright, 36, lives in the area and often saw Jai with his grandmother.

She said: 'He was very close with his nan - she raised him. I often saw him out and about or on the bus, he was a sweet and caring boy.'

His next-of-kin have been made aware of his death as the Met Police's murder detectives begin investigating.

This morning, police forensics experts were working at the scene .

Medical equipment used by the paramedics as they battled to save the boy's life could be seen scattered across the floor of Morely's chicken shop.

Police forensics experts were scouring the scene this morning after yesterday's stabbing

Locals expressed their shock and anger online.

One resident tweeted: 'It's getting ridiculous! The world we live in now is a joke! I'm a father of 2 boys and their teenage years are gonna be effected by events like these cuz I'm gonna be on them 24/7! RIP young lad'

Another added: 'Another family planning a funeral instead of the future of their son! This year really has become murder London! Knives cont to destroy lives!'

Footage shows police cars rushing to the scene of a stabbing in southeast London that saw a 15-year-old boy killed

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'At this early stage officers are working to establish the circumstances. No arrests have yet been made and a crime scene remains in place.'

The killing came amid a debate over the best use of police resources.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said today 'stretched' forces must prioritise violent crimes, including drug gangs fighting turf wars on the streets of towns and cities across the country.

London police commissioner Cressida Dick said police should focus on violent crime today

She indicated that other offences, including online fraud, were lower priorities for her officers.

Ms Dick backed National Police Chiefs' Council chairwoman Sara Thornton, who warned that forces could not take on all 'desirable and deserving' issues, such as logging misogyny reports even when no offence has been committed.

There have been calls for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime and the Government has commissioned a review to examine whether laws should be extended to cover offences motivated by hostility towards a victim's sex or age.

Ms Dick said: 'My officers are very busy, they are very stretched. We have young people in London subject to stabbings and other serious violence, getting involved in drug gangs and things, lots of priorities.

'We can't go on increasing the scale of the mission through enforcing new laws unless we are given more resources or the public are prepared for us to just do some things not as well.'