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Another knife victim: Stabbed 16-year-old dies after begging for his mother
Justin Davenport and Danny Brierley04.07.08
The latest teenage victim of London's knife crime crisis was chased like an animal and left pleading for his mother as he lay dying in the street.
Shakilus Townsend, 16, died today after a daylight gang attack, which a senior detective described as "another senseless incident in which a young life has been taken away by a knife".
The teenager is believed to have been stabbed five times in the chest and stomach after being chased by up to six youths wearing masks and hoods. At least one girl was among them. Police later found a blood-covered knife in a nearby bush in Thornton Heath.
Shakilus, from New Cross, died in St George's Hospital, Tooting, early today, 10 hours after the attack.
He is the 18th teenager to be murdered in London this year. The killing was also the sixth fatal stabbing in London since Sunday. Scotland Yard responded by launching a task force to take on young people who carry knives.
The murdered boy's grandfather said today the tragedy had devastated his family. Wayne Dyer, in his late fifties, said: "My daughter Nikki phoned me at six o'clock this morning to tell me he had died.
"She just said to me, 'They have killed Shakilus.'
"She has been at the hospital with Shakilus's dad and is with the police, talking to them. We're all very upset."
Neighbours in Beulah Crescent, Thornton Heath, described how they desperately tried to save Shakilus.
Dee Bamina, 35, tried to stem the bleeding from a wound to his chest with a bath towel after another neighbour brought the stabbed teenager into the communal doorway of her block of flats.
She said: "I think a group of boys must have been after the boy. All I heard was them saying, 'Get him from the other side.'"
Ms Bamina saw a gang of four or five boys aged 15 to 19 with scarves covering their faces. One had a baseball bat. A light-skinned black girl was also with them, she said.
"I tried to ask him his name and to tell him to calm down and lie down because he was trying to get up and go." She said the boy was saying, "I don't want to die" and "Where's my mum? I want my mum."
Richard Higgins, 17, who came out of his flat to find the boy outside, said: "I heard my neighbour screaming and I walked down my stairs and the first thing I saw was the blood ... He was flitting in and out of consciousness and kept saying, 'I can't breathe. I think I'm going to die.' I just kept trying to talk to him to keep him conscious."
Scotland Yard said the attack was believed to be gang related.
Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons, who is leading the investigation, said: "This is another senseless incident in which a young life has been taken away by a knife.
"This happened outside a block of flats in broad daylight and I am certain there are people who will have witnessed this murder. I would urge those people to come forward and speak to the police, to help us bring justice to Shakilus's family and friends."
One 17-year-old boy, who lives near the scene, said stabbings were commonplace in the area. "If he hadn't died, no one would have cared about this, it would have just been another stabbing," he said.
"You grow up around here, you always see the yellow [police incident] boards around and then you wake up and see 20 police vans outside. How are the police or the Government going to be able to sort this out if we as kids don't know why this sort of stuff 's going on?"
Residents in Thornton Heath today called for greater police presence on the streets.
Peter Gibbs, 60, said: "I have asked for more patrols and the police never listen. There was a shooting around here last time and nobody came. It's a disgrace. I've seen gangs around and I am afraid. I want the police to do something about it but nobody helps. I feel terrified."
Reader views (13)
R.I.P Shak Babes.
It Hurts So Much Your Gone!
- Ilovedhimsomuch, South East
Things are getting difficult here in America with gang problems too. My neighbourhood used to be one made up of people who were in or retired from the military, those who were retired from the tire or car factory, and were predominantly white with a very small amount of minorities. The minorities were mostly children of military personnel.
Now, my neighbourhood is overrun by roaming hoards of gangs, which are mostly blacks with a couple gangs being Asian or Hispanics. It is not uncommon to see a herd of 70 or more of these gang members roaming our streets at night and into the early morning hours. They yell and scream like animals and to be the leader of one gang in my immediate area, you have to kill a white woman and her baby.
With the large influx of illegal aliens, our crime rates have climbed even higher. America is being overrun by people who once they get here, expect to be given jobs, places to live, medical treatment, food, shelter and allowed to waive their native country's flag. They do not expect to assimilate into our culture or speak our language.
Imagine, going to another country and being given a business of your own, being given a free college/university education while also having your room and board provided for free. But we don't do it for white Europeans, only 3rd world immigrants in the name of diversity.
- Armstrong, OKC, USA
The police are too busy harassing innocent photographers asking them what photos they are taking and why! How stupid is that? I have long since lost my faith in both the Police and the justice system. Someone, somewhere needs to do something positive before another young life is needlessly lost. Quite why Europeans and others want to move to this country is beyond me, this country is the absolute pits. I cant wait to emigrate somewhere sensible and safe!
- Bob, Enfield
I thought the Ian Blair and the Met were telling us a month or so back that London's nice and safe so we should all should stop whining.
Yep, that'll be right then.
Peter Haldane: we don't need a paramilitary like the French gendarmerie or the Spanish guardia civil. We just need our civil police force, who have no institutional autonomy separate from local authorities and the people who vote them in, to just do their job and stop banging on about social issues. Law and order and public safety are their only responsibility.
- Jon Jones, London
We moved out of London when my son was 6. Now that he's 16 I'm finally glad that I made the move. My heart bleeds for this Mum and all the other Mums who have lost beloved sons.
Don't think that things are so rosy outside London though- each town/county has its own horrendous 'teen gang' issues/problems/violence to contend with.
What IS it with these alienated kids? Why do they feel so little regard for human life/theirs and others futures that they so lightly kill?
Does prison hold no fears? Or loss of freedom? If young people have no morals/conscience then God help us all
- Mum Of Another 16 Yr Old Lad, Suffolk
New Labour + New Feminist laws + No Fathers rights = destruction of family & generation of street rat kids with no fear or respect for anyone
- Neil Knight, london, UK
How about reintroducing the drop, ok this might not stop the stabbing but at least we won't have to pay to keep them. But of course in this gutless country this will not happen so just sit back and let it wash over you.
- Stephen D., London England.
Gang related eh? Live by the sword, die by the sword.
- Steph, London
New Labour, New Crime Wave
- John, London
What will it take for the Govt. to stamp this evil out?
R.I.P young fella, another one who should still be here.
- Billybob, London
The policing of our major city is a disgrace. The Metropolitan Police are nothing more than a leaderless mob who exist to serve the employment needs of their members and to soak up the surplus unemployed in the form of 'Community Support officers'. There are many international examples of how to deal firmly with crime waves, as the outbreak of recent stabbing attacks undoubtedly is, but all we get are weak excuses and the 'not invented here attitude'. Perhaps a French style armed gendarmerie might do better with discipline and a command structure. They could hardly do worse.
- Peter Haldane, London
After reading this shocking act of murder I feel sickened by the youth of today.
At 24,I myself am not much older then this generation of viscous individuals and cannot help but wonder where it all went wrong?
These hooligans must be caught and made an example of. Hunted down as they hunted this poor boy.
Surely both the government and police must start thinking of a more serious course of action.
My deepest sympathy goes out to his mother and family.
- Natasha Biggs, Streatham Vale
18 dead from knife attacks this year.
7.5 million had no trouble what-so-ever, despite what the papers say...you are safe.
- Daveb, london
