Southport dance class: A third girl has died in one of the worst attacks on children

CNN
 — 

The UK was left shaken after three youngsters have been stabbed to demise and eight others have been injured in a knife assault in Southport, in one of many worst assaults towards youngsters within the nation in many years.

The assault came about at a Taylor Swift themed occasion at a dance college within the seaside city in northwest England, sparking disbelief over why would anybody goal youngsters having enjoyable throughout the summer time vacation.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated the “complete nation” was deeply shocked by the “actually terrible” assault, whereas King Charles III stated he was “profoundly shocked” by the “totally horrific incident.”

Here’s what we all know concerning the assault.

Police stated Monday two ladies, aged 6 and seven, have been killed and 6 of the 9 that have been injured have been in crucial situation. Officers stated the next day that one other youngster, a 9-year-old woman, had died on account of her accidents.

Two adults have been additionally critically injured, police stated, including that they suffered their injures as a result of they “have been bravely making an attempt to guard the kids who have been being attacked.”

Merseyside Police stated the assault came about at a Taylor Swift occasion at a dance college in Southport on Monday morning, and the pressure stated it obtained a name for assist simply earlier than noon. Emergency providers, together with 13 ambulances and different specialised assets, have been despatched to the scene and a “main incident” was declared.

Police named the ladies who died within the assault as Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe.

Images of the three victims that have been shared by their households present Alice carrying a princess-like white gown, whereas Elsie is pictured smiling into the digital camera in what seems to be a faculty uniform. Bebe is proven sporting two ponytails, wanting delighted whereas pointing to her t-shirt that reveals the image of Elphaba and Galinda, the 2 witches from the “Depraved” musical.

Police additionally shared a tribute from the household of Bebe King who stated: “No phrases can describe the devastation that has hit our household as attempt to take care of the lack of our little woman Bebe.”

The mother and father of Dasilver Aguiar referred to as the nine-year-old “our princess” and stated: “Maintain smiling and dancing such as you like to do our Princess, like we stated earlier than to you, you’re all the time our princess and nobody would change that.”

The police stated a 17-year-old minor was arrested on the scene on “suspicion of homicide and tried homicide.” He was taken to the police station and was being interviewed on Tuesday morning, the police stated.

Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy stated the suspect was from Banks in Lancashire and was initially from Cardiff in Wales.

She stated the suspect was armed with a knife when he walked into the varsity in Southport, however give no different particulars on him or his obvious motive, apart from saying the assault was not being handled as terror-related.

The incident on Monday is the worst mass stabbing assault focusing on youngsters within the UK in many years – and probably ever. Whereas knife crime has risen throughout the nation over the previous decade – with a slight dip throughout the pandemic years – mass stabbing incidents are extraordinarily uncommon.

The variety of knife crimes in England rose to 48,341 within the yr to April 2024, from 27,667 within the yr to April 2014, in accordance for the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics. Greater than 1 / 4 of the incidents came about in London.

However youngsters have been focused within the UK in different sorts of assaults. A number of youngsters, together with an 8-year previous woman have been killed in a terror assault on the live performance of pop singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in Could 2017.

And 16 youngsters aged between 5 and 6 have been murdered in a faculty capturing within the Scottish city of Dunblane in 1996. The bloodbath surprised the nation and led to a ban on the non-public possession of all handguns in mainland Britain.

Many within the space and throughout the nation have been left in disbelief after studying about what occurred. Southport is a small seaside resort and a preferred summer time vacation spot for households.

Starmer and different officers visited the location of the assault on Tuesday, paying tributes to the victims and thanking emergency responders who attended the scene.

Starmer laid a wreath of cream and yellow-colored flowers on the scene, alongside floral tributes left there by the local people.

Taylor Swift, whose music was the theme of the dance class that was focused by the assault, stated Tuesday she was “fully in shock.”

“The horror of yesterday’s assault in Southport is washing over me constantly, and I’m simply fully in shock. The lack of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everybody who was there, the households, and first responders. These have been simply little children at a dance class. I’m at an entire loss for the right way to ever convey my sympathies to those households,” Swift wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.