Machete victim, 16, f led attack hours earlier

A BOY of 16 was stabbed to death at a packed railway station – hours after an initial attempt on his life.

Louis Johnson was on his way home to his mother when he was attacked by a suspect carrying a foot-long machete.

Commuters froze in horror as he staggered along a footbridge screaming in pain before collapsing in a pool of blood at East Croydon station in south London.

It is the ninth murder in the capital already this year – and the latest example of ‘Wild West Britain’.

The number of killings in London hit a ten-year high last year following a surge in knife and gang violence.

Friends paid tribute to Louis, saying he was the ‘kindest, loveliest person’ who just wanted to make his mother happy.

They said the teenager, who was wearing a tag at the time he was killed on Monday afternoon, had once been ‘ badly behaved’ but was getting his life back on track.

But they fear he may have been caught up in a ‘postcode war’ among rival gangs.

The first attack on Louis came at 11am. The second followed a youth offending team meeting in Battersea, where staff offered him a £50 Tesco voucher if he was home with his mother by 6pm.

He reached East Croydon station at around 4.30pm and was ambushed while crossing a

Fatal wounds: Louis Johnson footbridge connecting two platforms. The 40- second attack ended with his killer vanishing into the rush-hour throng.

Horrified commuters looked on as security staff comforted Louis and waited for the emergency services. A 20-year- old witness said the teenager was ‘screaming out the whole time in pain’ in a pool of blood. He was declared dead at the scene.

It is understood that Louis and his attacker were known to each other but it had not been an arranged meeting.

British Transport Police are looking for two suspects.

A 16-year-old friend, who gave her name as Ashanti from Catford, said Louis had told her of the first attack, adding: ‘We know he was scared for his life and he knew he was going to lose his life.’

Another friend, 16-year- old Mia from Lewisham, said: ‘He had come so far. He used to be a badly behaved kid and this year was his year to step up his game and prove everyone wrong.

‘He just wanted to make it in life. He liked making money in whatever ways he could.

‘ He just wanted to live a peaceful life. He was happy looking after his mum and [was] the kindest, loveliest person.’

She added: ‘It is so easy to buy a machete online in five seconds and click and collect.’

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Blackburn of British Transport Police said: ‘This was a senseless killing at an extremely busy time of the day, and my thoughts are with Louis’s family.

‘I would like to reassure everyone that a thorough investigation is well under way.’

Croydon Central Labour MP Sarah Jones, who chairs the allparty parliamentary group on knife crime, tweeted: ‘This brutal loss of a young life is another reminder that tackling violence must be our highest priority.’