Woolwich stabbing: Police hunt killer of boy killed on London bus

On Tuesday, Mark Rodney, from anti-knife crime charity Project Lifeline, told reporters that he believed, just two weeks ago, the victim had laid flowers for another teenager who met a violent death.

Daejaun Campbell, 15, was stabbed to death in Eglinton Road, Woolwich, on 22 September last year, less than a mile-and-a-half away from Tuesday’s stabbing.

He was among 11 teenage boys who lost their lives to homicide in London in 2024.

In an unrelated attack, an 18-year-old man was stabbed on Monday afternoon in nearby Prince Imperial Road, Woolwich, and had to be admitted to hospital.

Reporting from the scene of the latest stabbing on Wednesday morning, BBC London journalist Gem O’Reilly described the atmosphere in the area as “tense”, as locals struggled to circumvent police cordons to get to work and take children to school.

One local mother, Kate, who also works nearby, told the BBC she believed violent crimes like these seemed to be becoming “more and more common” in the area.

“It’s a bit daunting. I have a child, and I’m a bit afraid of walking up and down this road and even in this area in general; it’s becoming a bit dangerous,” she said.

“It’s so scary, and now these things are happening in broad daylight. It’s not nice.”

Mother-of-two Abigail, who lives less than a five-minute walk from the spot the boy was attacked, told the BBC that she and other local parents had recently been discussing how to keep their children safe while also alerting them to danger.

“Now is the time for this community to come together to protect our children,” she said.