TEENAGER STABBED TO DEATH
MURDER PROBE AFTER 4.30AM BRAWL
A YOUNG man who died after he was stabbed to death during a street brawl in Oldham has been named as Ahsan Khan.
The 19-year-old was knifed during a fight involving a group of men on Cheviot Avenue in the early hours of yesterday.
Mr Khan was taken to hospital with serious injuries, but later died. A murder investigation was launched in the wake of the incident. A scene was in place on Cheviot Avenue throughout the day and into the evening.
Forensic teams and plainclothes officers were seen working inside the cordon.
Four men - two aged 21 and others aged 19 and 20 - have been arrested. All four are being questioned on suspicion of murder.
As news of Mr Khan’s death broke, tributes poured in.
A close friend, who gave his name as Rahim, told the Manchester Evening News: “I remember when he was born.
“I used to always see him playing as a kid, running past the house. I saw him grow up.
“He always had a smile on his face. He would show everyone respect, regardless of who they were or their religion. He was a good lad.”
Abz Irshad told the M.E.N. he knew Mr Khan ‘all his life.’
“He was an amazing boy with a heart of gold,” he said.
Has Khan wrote on Facebook: “Horrible news to get woken up to. He was such a nice young kid, with bright future ahead of him.
“Only a couple of days ago we spoke. Rest in peace little bro. Gone, but always in our hearts.”
Another friend said: “Just woke up to this shocking news. [He] has been taken away from us far too soon, he had his whole life ahead of him. Such a great soul, always respected his elders and showed maximum love.”
A witness said he saw several police cars and ambulances arrive on the street at about 4.30am.
He said the victim was lying in the road as paramedics tried to resuscitate him.
A woman who lives on the street said: “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s scary to wake up and see this on your doorstep.”
Detectives are appealing for anyone with information about Mr Khan’s death to come forward.
Detective Superintendent Debbie Dooley, of GMP’s Oldham division, said: “My thoughts are with the young man who has had his life brutally taken away from him and our specialist officers are working closely with the family to assist them the best we can at this devastating time.
“This is a fast-moving investigation and we have made some encouraging progress with our lines of enquiry so far. However, we are keen to establish the circumstances around this and are appealing to the public for further information to assist us with this case.
“A crime of this severity requires as much detail as possible, therefore it is vital that those who know about the circumstances behind this get in touch with police and aid our enquiries so the perpetrators can be brought to justice.
“Extra high-visibility patrols will be deployed in the local area in the next few days and we encourage the community to speak to any one of our officers in confidence if they have any concerns or can offer any information that can aid our enquiries.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 9080, quoting incident number 630 of February 16, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.