A drill rapper is believed to be one of three men in their 20s who were stabbed to death in a little over 12 hours of bloodshed in the capital.

England footballer Jadon Sancho, 19, led tributes online to the man identified locally by his stage name “Bis” – a member of the Harlem Spartans group, based in Kennington, south London.

The Borussia Dortmund winger tweeted: “Rest up bis,” with a picture of the victim, who detectives are confident is Crosslom Davis, 20.

Rest up bis 🙏🏼🕊 pic.twitter.com/NMe21cvjth — Jadon Sancho (@Sanchooo10) December 6, 2019

He was pronounced dead just after 3.30am on Friday in Deptford, south-east London, about 12 and a half hours after Exauce Ngimbi, 22, was killed in an unrelated attack in Hackney, east London.

Mr Ngimbi was pronounced dead shortly after 2.30pm Thursday, after an altercation with a group, Scotland Yard said.

A third man, 26, was knifed to death in a suspected robbery near Harrods in Knightsbridge, west London, as he made his way home from a restaurant just after midnight.

He was found unconscious with a stab wound to the back and was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not been formally identified but his family have been told.

Another man, who was with the victim, was also knifed in the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by two males, who detectives believe were trying to steal from them.

He remains in hospital, where his injuries are described as not life-threatening.

Chief Inspector Andy Partridge said: “It appears that the victims were going home having just attended a nearby restaurant.

Police were called to Bronze Street, SE8 at 03:00hrs on Fri, 6 Dec following a report of a stabbing. A man was pronounced dead at the scene & initial inquiries are being carried out at pace.

No arrests at this time.

Got info? Call police quote CAD 836/6Dec or @CrimestoppersUK — Lewisham MPS (@MPSLewisham) December 6, 2019

“They were approached by two males on Basil Street, at the junction with Pavillion Road. It was here that the two male suspects confronted the victims.

“Although at an early stage, we believe that the victims were approached in order to steal property from them and were attacked during that encounter.”

The luxury department store was open on Friday, while a crime scene remained in place.

Scotland Yard has arrested three men, one aged 23 and two aged 26, and a 14-year-old boy, over the murder of Mr Ngimbi.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine said: “Exauce’s family are devastated but I want to assure them, and the wider public, that we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible for this murder face justice.”

Detective Chief Inspector John Massey, who is leading the investigation into Mr Davis’s death, said: “While we tirelessly work to piece together the events that sadly led to a young man losing his life, I would appeal to those who have information to do the right thing and speak to us.

“If you saw anything out of the ordinary, no matter how insignificant you think it is, then please contact my team as a matter of urgency, as your information could prove vital to our inquiries and could help bring those responsible for this heinous violent act to justice.”

Due to an incident earlier this morning, unrelated to Harrods, police have closed public access to Hans Crescent, the pedestrianised road next to the store. This means that the Knightsbridge tube exit on to Hans Crescent remains closed, however Harrods is open. — Harrods (@Harrods) December 6, 2019

Speaking outside Scotland Yard on Friday afternoon, Commander Jane Connors said the killings were not linked to one another.

She added: “Each of these attacks is a tragedy – not just for the victims and their families but for the wider communities who are left reeling by this senseless violence.

“Our highly experienced teams of investigators are working relentlessly to determine exactly what happened and bring those responsible to justice.”

She added more officers would be on patrol in the areas where the attacks took place, including armed units.

Anyone with any information on any of the killings is urged to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Last year, there were 141 police-recorded homicides in the capital – the highest in a calendar year since 2008 – according to official Home Office statistics.

The PA news agency has identified 129 homicides so far in 2019, with three weeks of the year still to come.

PA