Met police say the victim, 16, had been chased by a group before being stabbed

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A 16-year-old boy died after he was stabbed a number of times in north-west London by a group who had chased him, police have said.

The Metropolitan police were called to Munster Square in Camden, close to Regent’s Park, at about 11.10pm on Monday. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, with paramedics in attendance, and his next of kin were informed.

DCI Paul Healy said in a statement that police were in the early stages of their murder investigation and appealed for members of the public to “do the right thing and speak to us”, with no arrests yet made.

“We believe the victim was chased around the square by a number of suspects prior to being stabbed a number of times,” he said. “The suspects made off in a vehicle which was discovered burnt out nearby. Another vehicle believed to be involved in the incident was also found burnt out some distance away.”

At the scene on Tuesday afternoon next to Munster Square, which sits in the middle of a number of tall council blocks, a large police cordon remained in place and stretched across a number of nearby roads. Residents said the cordon was so large because the boy had been chased.

A resident, Rosanara Begum, told the Evening Standard: “The boy was running away from them. Then we saw the two boys holding him and the other one stabbing him.

“As soon as I heard: ‘Help me, help me,’ I was on the phone to the ambulance. He was bleeding a lot. The attackers were skinny and just looked like teenagers. They were running off and they were screaming and laughing.”

Her daughter added: “We saw three boys all wearing hoods all covered in black, the middle one had a long black machete-type knife. It was really long.”

Camden Police (@MPSCamden) Officers are on scene in #MunsterSquare #Camden after a male died following a stabbing at approx. 11:10pm on 12Aug – no arrests. Anyone with info that could assist the investigation pls call 101 quote CAD8433/12Aug pic.twitter.com/xB4OzMwA7J

An anti-violence campaigner, who came to lay flowers at the scene of the murder, called for greater investment to reverse austerity cuts in communities and schools.

“We are one of the richest countries in the world but we fail to tackle this,” Michelle West said. “Vulnerable young people don’t know how to respond to stop and search.” She added that there was a “fine line” between effective use and overuse.

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“There’s nowhere for the youth to go, there’s nothing for them to do. Youth clubs just aren’t available any more.”

The attack follows a number of violent attacks in the area. An 18-year-old was stabbed a number of times on nearby Drummond Street in February, while two other teenage boys were knifed during a fight on Albany Street in March. Residents said there had been other stabbings but they were not reported to the authorities.

Camden council said the victim did not live in the borough, which was confirmed by a resident who said the deceased often visited. However, he did not know his name.

“He was a friendly guy, I saw him a week ago. He had a lot of friends round here,” the 20-year-old student said, declining to be named.

A neighbour walking the dog with her husband said she often saw open drug dealing on the estate and near the murder scene.

“There’s a huge problem round here with gangs. I witnessed a drug deal outside my block the other day; the kid was no older than 10 years old. I’ve watched him grow up from a toddler.”

She said the murder last night was “bound to happen one day” due to repeated violence.

Her husband said: “There are cars here 24/7 selling drugs in broad daylight. They sell the packages and away they go again. The police don’t do nothing.”

A former resident of the estate criticised the response of the authorities. “It took police and an ambulance 20 minutes to turn up last night after the attack happened. They know it’s going on round here, so why don’t they do something?”

He pointed to Albany Street police station, within view of the murder scene, which is no longer operational after the front counter was closed in 2013.