2024-07-31 18:06:55
Merseyside police have confirmed that a third child has died from injuries sustained in a knife attack in Southport on Monday, British newspaper The Guardian reports.
“A nine-year-old girl died in hospital in the early hours of this morning,” police said in a statement, confirming that the children who died on Monday were six and seven-year-old girls.
“Eight other children suffered stab wounds from the attack, five of whom are in a critical condition,” police said.
Merseyside Police added that two adults injured in the incident remain in a critical condition, while a 17-year-old suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, remains in custody.
The suspect is from the Lancashire village of Banks but was born in Cardiff. The motive for the attack is still unclear. The public is advised not to speculate on social networks.
“A name linked to a suspect in an incident in Southport has been released on social media. This name is incorrect and we urge people not to speculate on the details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing. At this time this incident is not being treated as terrorism-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it,” Merseyside Police added in a statement.
Taylor Swift, the world’s most popular artist, has said she is “absolutely shocked” after three children were killed and others are still fighting for their lives in hospital after a knife attack at a dance class celebrating the US singer’s music in Southport, England.
The singer wrote on Instagram: “The horror of last night’s attack in Southport is gnawing away at me and I’m just completely shocked.”
“The loss of life and innocence, and the terrible trauma of all the people who were there, the families and the first responders,” she added. “It was just little kids in dance class.”
The rampage has stunned Britain and left police scrambling to find out why such an unusually brutal incident took place in a country where gun ownership is heavily restricted and knife crime has been described as a “national crisis”.
“I don’t know how to express my condolences to these families at all,” Swift wrote in her Instagram post.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy was quoted by CNN as saying that the five injured children were in a critical condition, while two adults were also in a critical condition in the attack.
S. Kennedy added that, according to the police, the attacker entered the premises armed with a knife and started attacking the children.
“We believe that the injured adults bravely tried to protect the children who were attacked,” she said at a press conference on Monday evening.
2024-07-31 18:06:55