Teenage schoolboy stabbed to death outside shopping centre named

A 15-year-old who was stabbed to death outside a busy shopping centre in broad daylight has been named.

The Metropolitan Police were called to Broadway in Stratford shortly after 3pm on Thursday following reports of a stabbing.

The schoolboy, who police named on Friday as Baptista Adjei from North Woolwich, was attacked on or after getting off a bus which had stopped close to the Stratford Shopping Centre, Scotland Yard said.

Police and witnesses said his friends and passers-by had rushed to help after he was knifed outside a McDonald’s at the shopping centre.

But police and paramedics found the schoolboy with “critical injuries” and, despite battling to save his life, the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene at 3.49pm.

Five hours later, officers were called to the Brandon Estate in Camberwell, south London, where they found an 18-year-old man with stab wounds.

He died an hour later, the Metropolitan Police said.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he was “devastated” by the two fatal stabbings and urged witnesses to come forward, saying: “There is no honour in staying silent.”

One witness described the scene in Stratford after Baptista was stabbed to the PA news agency.

They said: “At that moment there were not many people around him so I could see him all covered in blood. He was in pain and tried getting up.

“There were people around gathering. It was scary as you did not know if any of them could have had a knife too.”

One stall worker told PA he saw paramedics trying to perform first aid to a “young guy”.

“I saw police around here and one person was on the floor, I think they stabbed him,” he said.

“It was a young guy. He was a black guy on the floor. I think the ambulance guys tried to give him first aid.”

A second boy, aged 15, was also found with stab injuries and was taken to an east London hospital, where his injuries are said to be not life-threatening.

Police called the incident a “senseless attack” and have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Soole, who is leading the investigation, said: “First and foremost our thoughts are with this young man’s family and friends.

“They so tragically are having to come to terms with this terrible loss of life.

“The victim of this stabbing was a schoolboy with his whole life ahead of him. He had everything to live for.”

No arrests have been made in the either the Camberwell or Stratford investigations, police said.

There was still a large police cordon in place on the Brandon Estate on Friday afternoon.

A forensics tent could be seen on grass on Grimsel Path, with a number of police officers still patrolling the area.

The police tape on the outer edge of the cordon is just metres from a nursery and primary school.

Mr Khan said: “I am utterly devastated to hear that two teenagers have been killed on our streets – a 15-year-old boy in Stratford and an 18-year-old man in Southwark.

“My thoughts are with both victims’ loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.

“Knife crime is stealing the futures of our young people – and it is devastating our communities. It has to stop. That’s why, despite the backdrop of vast government cuts, we’re funding dedicated officers on our streets to tackle violence – as well as focusing on addressing the causes of crime, investing in youth and preventative services.”