A BANK HOLIDAY OF BLOODSHED
Stabbings, acid attack and boy, 13, shot on way to wedding
A BOY aged 13 was shot in the back of the head as he walked to a wedding during a bank holiday weekend of violence.
The teenager was hit by stray shotgun pellets when a moped-riding gunman tried to blast a gangland rival peddling drugs.
He was one of the victims in a wave of bloodshed over the three-day holiday.
In London, commanders deployed scores of extra police officers, including armed units, after the capital was rocked by shootings and stabbings, as well as an acid attack in Dalston.
As murder squad detectives continued to hunt for the killer of Rhyhiem Ainsworth Barton, 17, who was shot near his South London home on Saturday, there was a further attack elsewhere in the capital, as well as killings in Liverpool, Luton and Macclesfield.
The 13-year-old had been caught in the shotgun blast as he walked along Wealdstone High Street shortly after 1pm on Sunday. Witnesses said a gunman and accomplice, possibly on a moped, fired two shots.
The blasts caught the bystander in the back of the head and he collapsed in the doorway of an optician as his parents and paramedics tried to help.
He was treated in hospital before being discharged.
Locals said the intended target of the gang shooting had been a Somali drug dealer. Wayne Bent, 37, said passers-by had tried to stem the bleeding with a T-shirt. He said: ‘He just kept his head down and people were just trying to help and tend to his wounds. He was just silent.’
A 15- year- old who was also hit remained in hospital last night, though his injuries were not life-threatening. A third injured boy left the scene and has not yet been traced.
Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Rose criticised the ‘callous, reckless and brazen act’, adding: ‘It is senseless and shows an utter disregard for the safety of others.’
In Perivale, West London, Boguslaw Kluz, 43, was stabbed in the neck at a family barbecue at 9pm on Sunday.
Witnesses said the Polish builder confronted a driver who had been going too fast and hit a parked car.
The BMW driver – described as an Arab man in his 30s or 40s – stabbed him twice before speeding away. Neighbour Martin Jones said: ‘The kids started screaming and everyone rushed to help him.
‘He’s a top bloke who’s always with his wife and children and he works incredibly hard. He’s lucky to be alive.’ In Liverpool, Fatah Warsame, 20, of Cardiff, died after being stabbed near a Chinese restaurant in the early hours of Sunday. Police were still trying to identify the killer last night.
Officers were also hunting a knifeman who killed a 20-year-old takeaway worker outside in Luton on Sunday afternoon. One resident said he believed it had been gang-related, possibly in reprisal for a shooting last week.
In Macclesfield, a 37-year- old man was stabbed to death on Sunday, with a 15-year- old boy and 29-year-old man arrested.
And in Clayton, East Manchester, police said a man was taken to hospital after being shot at 2.45pm yesterday. His condition was not known last night. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he was determined to tackle the spate of violence that was ‘robbing too many young people of their futures’.
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan claimed ministers were failing and said he was doing all he could.