A murder, stabbing and machine gun attack – yet another night of senseless violence in London
LONDON’S violent crime epidemic intensified yesterday after a woman was stabbed to death and a man left fighting for his life after a machine gun attack.
Three other men were stabbed in separate attacks within hours of each other and two teenagers were rushed to hospital after acid was thrown on their faces.
The 28-year-old woman who was stabbed to death had multiple knife wounds and was described as being ‘in the prime of her life’.
Police were called to an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, at 2.32am yesterday and found the woman lying on the floor. She was dead at the scene.
A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and was being questioned at a London police station.
Scotland Yard said the suspect and the victim knew each other and are not searching for any other suspects.
Six hours earlier a man in his 20s was riddled with bullets from a machine gun outside his home in Stonebridge which is a mile away from the fatal stabbing. He is in a critical condition in hospital.
Armed police raced to the scene and closed off the road. A silver car behind the police cordon appeared to be peppered with bullet holes.
One witness, who asked not to be named, said: ‘Apparently a car pulled up alongside him while he was sitting in his car and he
‘It’s not safe to bring kids up here’
was shot eight times. We think it was a machine gun as it happened quickly. Someone saw him holding his neck.
‘He’s a good lad, I just don’t understand why this has happened. He’s so polite and he’s not a horrible guy. It was a bit of a shock when I was told who it was.’
George Nayinda, 50, said: ‘I heard it from my bedroom and came downstairs to check on my kids and make sure no bullets had come through the windows.
‘I’ve been telling my wife it’s not safe to bring kids up here. Guns are rampant. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. My son was really scared. He was crying.’
One man wrote on Twitter: ‘Heard shots all the way from [the] north side [of] Stonebridge as they were fired. I counted about 17 shots. Absolute madness!!! Enough is enough!!!’
Another man in his 20s was also critically injured after being stabbed just over a mile away about two hours later, police said. All three attacks took place in the London borough of Brent.
John Sammon, 65, who has lived in the area for 15 years, said: ‘All these stabbings are getting a bit much. I’ve lived in Brent since 1969 and we haven’t seen anything like this before. Not in the 70s, 80s or 90s.’
Superintendent Tim Alexander, from the borough of Brent, said residents will see more police officers on the streets over the weekend. He said: ‘Overnight we found ourselves in the unusual position of having to deal with three violent incidents in our borough of Brent.
‘I understand the community’s concerns regarding last night’s events but I would like to reassure the people who live and work in Brent that we remain a safe and vibrant borough that rarely sees incidents of such violence.’
Meanwhile, two men were in a critical condition after two separate stabbings in south London.
A 23-year- old man was found with stab injuries in Greenwich at about 8.10pm on Thursday.
And at 3.36am yesterday, police were called to the stabbing of a 23-year-old man in Deptford. A 29year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and is being questioned in custody.
Another man was found with head injuries in Stockwell after police received reports of a fight just after 5.50pm on Thursday.
Police recovered a knife and a bottle of corrosive substance from the street after the two teenagers were injured. Witnesses poured water on the faces of the victims, aged 17 and 18. They had been involved in an ‘altercation’ shortly before midnight on Thursday, police said.
The teenagers were both taken to hospital. Their injuries were not life threatening.