Boy, 16, 'stabbed to death' in south London Published duration 6 November 2018 Related Topics London violence

image caption Officers were called to reports of a shooting in Greenleaf Close, Tulse Hill

A 16-year-old boy has died in a suspected stabbing in south London.

The Metropolitan Police said initial inquiries suggested the teenager died of stab wounds in Tulse Hill on Monday.

Officers were first called to reports of a shooting in Greenleaf Close at 22:53 GMT where the boy was found unconscious. He died shortly after.

The Met has deployed hundreds of extra officers on the streets of the capital in the wake of recent deaths.

The victim's parents saw their son dying as they waited up to 15 minutes for emergency crews to arrive, an eyewitness said.

image caption The victim's parents saw their son dying as they waited up to 15 minutes for emergency crews to arrive

The teenager, who did not live on the estate according to eyewitnesses, was being collected by his parents to take him home when "an attack" took place.

Detectives believe the victim was attacked by a number of suspects.

Paulina Wedderburn, who lived in the area, said she thought she heard a gunshot and a "big black Audi" driving away before finding the teenager in a driveway, looking like an "angel".

She said: "I just feel sorry for the mum. The mum's screams I can't get out of my head.

"What's going on? What is it? Why do they have to be killing each other?"

One of the boy's friends, who had dinner with him on Monday evening, described the victim as "bubbly" and a "friendly type" who was "respectful".

Another friend, who also did not want to be named, said he heard a person say "we got him, we got him", after hearing what he thought was a gunshot.

BBC Radio London correspondent Greg McKenzie said he had been told by one of the boy's friends that the victim "was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time".

No arrests have been made over Monday's killing and the boy's next-of-kin have been informed. Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Ch Supt Simon Messinger, commander of the Central South Command Unit, said extra officers were being assigned to south London.

This latest death comes after four people - two teenagers and two men - died in knife attacks in London in five days.

The suspected murder means the number of homicides in the capital during 2018 has now reached 119 - three more than in 2017.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics released in April showed that knife crime rose by 22% in England and Wales in 2017.

There were 39,598 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument - up from 32,448 in 2016.