Stabbing of Yemurai Kanyangarara in broad daylight is 'among the very worst I've investigated in 25 years', says Mark Dunne

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

A senior detective has said that the murder of a 16-year-old boy, who died after having his throat slashed by attackers, is among the worst he has investigated.

Yemurai Kanyangarara from Belvedere, south-east London, was stabbed in the neck in nearby Welling early on Friday evening.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dunne described the killing as an act of "sheer brutality against a defenceless schoolboy", adding that the murder – carried out in broad daylight on a busy street – was "about as bad as it gets".

Kanyangarara, who was brought to Britain from Zimbabwe when very young, was attacked by three boys almost immediately after stepping off a 96 bus with a friend on Upper Wickham Lane.

Det Ch Insp Dunne told reporters: "You've got someone, 16 years old, a schoolboy, being stabbed in broad daylight in a busy street in front of many, many shoppers out enjoying the afternoon.

"It's about as bad as it gets. It's among the very worst I've investigated in 25 years, the sheer brutality against a defenceless schoolboy."

Police believe the three attackers had been in a group of five or six who had got off another 96 at an earlier stop before walking to the stop where Kanyangarara and his friend disembarked.

No clear motive for the attack has emerged and police cannot confirm if the weapon used was a knife. A man arrested after the attack has been released.

The attack caused "catastrophic injuries" and the victim died "very quickly" after the attack, said Dunne.

"It would be wrong to suggest this was a random attack – our belief is that they were known to each other, but we don't know how," he said.

Nigel Fisher, principal at St Columba's Catholic boys' school in Bexleyheath, said Kanyangarara was a "kind, gentle lad".

He added: "He was a very popular and very well-known student, hard working, and had just finished his GCSEs. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time."

Kanyangarara is the eighth teenager murdered in London this year.