Schoolboy, 15, was comforted as he lay dying in Woolwich stabbing
A schoolboy was told ‘don’t worry, mum will be coming soon’ as he lay dying in the street after being stabbed in Woolwich.
The 15-year-old died at the scene after he was found with stab wounds on Eglinton Road in the south east London neighbourhood at around 6.35pm on Sunday.
Tasha Collins, 43, has revealed how she desperately tried to save the teenager by making a tourniquet out of a bed sheet for his injured leg as he lay in a pool of blood on the road outside her flat.
She was alerted to the situation when she heard screams of ‘someone’s been stabbed’ coming from across the road and after she raced outside she discovered the boy lying face down on the floor.
Ms Collins, who has lived in the area for 14 years and works at a local school, has told how the boy, whose identity has not yet been revealed, begged ‘I’m 15, don’t let me die’.
The 15-year-old died at the scene after he was found with stab wounds on Eglinton Road in the south east London neighbourhood at around 6.35pm on Sunday. Pictured: The scene of the stabbing on Monday
Metropolitan Police Territorial Support Group officers and vans at the scene on Monday
A local resident has revealed how she desperately tried to save the teenager by making a tourniquet out of a bed sheet for his injured leg as he lay in a pool of blood in the road outside her flat
Speaking by the police cordon, she said: ‘I turned him over, he had a gash in his head, and I thought “that’s not bleeding enough”.
‘His leg moved and there was a massive pool of blood, so I just stemmed the flow of blood until the paramedics and that got here.
‘I asked if I could go and shower because I was covered in his blood, and they said yes, so I went in and showered.
‘I came back out and they [the police] called me over because I was the last one with him – he was going to me: ‘I’m 15, I’m 15, don’t let me die’ and I said to him: ‘You’re not going to die, mate.’
Ms Collins told the Sun: ‘I told him you are loved, don’t worry, your mum will be coming for you.
‘I stroked his forehead. Your instincts kick in. I kept him alive until the paramedics came.’
The teenager was stabbed to death on Eglinton Road in Woolwich on Sunday evening
Residents heard screams of ‘someone’s been stabbed’ coming from across the road
Metropolitan Police Territorial Support Group officers at the scene on Monday
The police have said they are ‘committed to doing everything in our power to take these weapons off the streets’. Pictured: Officers at the scene on Monday
A police cordon near the scene in Eglinton Road, Woolwich
After the paramedics took him to hospital, Ms Collins went back into her house and showered, but was told ‘sorry love he didn’t make it’ when she returned to the scene.
But she said she was just glad she was there to comfort him.
She said the victim was ‘the most polite boy’ when she had encountered him around their neighbourhood.
Asked if she knew the victim well, she added: ‘No, I didn’t, but I always said hello and that, and he was always polite or moved out of the way when you were walking.’
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: ‘The mayor’s thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenage boy who has been killed in Woolwich, as well as the wider community.
‘This heart-breaking violence has no place in our streets.
Police forensic officer at the scene in Eglinton Road on Sunday night after the schoolboy was found
‘The mayor is in close contact with police leaders and there will be increased patrols in the local area.’
Police say the murder is a ‘stark and sobering reminder of the danger of zombie-style knives’.
It comes ahead of a ban on owning zombie-style knives and machetes set to come into force on Tuesday.
Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, speaking outside Plumstead Police Station on Monday afternoon, confirmed the victim was aged 15.
He went on: ‘Once again, we’ve had to tell a child’s family that their loved one has been killed in an act of violence using knives. Our thoughts are with them as they struggle to comprehend what has happened.
‘The fact a 15-year-old teenager who had his whole life ahead of him has been taken from his family in this way is a stark and sobering reminder of the danger of zombie-style knives.
‘We are committed to doing everything in our power to taking these weapons off the streets.
A police cordon and forensic tent near the scene of the stabbing on Monday
‘We know that this murder will send shockwaves throughout the community, and I understand the genuine concern this will create, we share those concerns.’
The boy’s next of kin has been informed with a crime scene still in place.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: ‘Police were called approximately 6.35pm on Sunday, September 22, to reports of a disturbance on Eglinton Road, SE18.
‘Officers attended and found a teenage boy with a stab injury. Despite the efforts of officers and paramedics at the scene, he sadly died a short time later.
‘His next of kin have been informed. A crime scene remains in place. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.’
Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 5989/22Sep.
