Nottingham: Students among three killed in knife and van attacks

A series of assaults that claimed the lives of two teenage students and one more man have rocked Nottingham.

Three people were fatally stabbed: a guy in his 50s, Barnaby Webber, 19, and Grace Kumar, 19. Police suspect the vehicle that struck three individuals was taken from the elder stabbing victim.

Police Tasered a suspect before they put him under custody for possible murder.

Police specializing in counterterrorism are investigating, but so yet there is no proof of any connection to extremism.

The assaults happened early on Tuesday, and according to the police, they were only just beginning their investigation and had not yet pinpointed a specific motivation.

Official sources have verified that the 31-year-old suspect is originally from West Africa, according to Daniel Sandford of the BBC.

The man’s history of mental health problems is well known.

For this reason, he said, counterterrorism police are now supporting the investigation but are not in charge of it.

Additionally, sources verified that while he had lived in the UK for “many years” and had established status, he was not a British citizen.

They also said that he had no criminal history.

Throughout the day, many roads in Nottingham were blocked while police searched the area for evidence. Armed cops were also seen patrolling the streets.

The three MPs for Nottingham said the region had been “devastated” by the violence, while David Mellen, the head of the city council, declared the city to be in “shock and mourning”.

Images: Nottingham assault rocks the city to its foundation

According to his relatives, Mr. Webber was “just at the start of his journey into adulthood”

The victims have not yet been officially recognized by the police, but friends and relatives have named Mr. Webber, a University of Nottingham student.

His family, who are from Taunton in Somerset, released the following statement: “Our son’s cruel death has left us feeling completely devastated.

“At the age of 19, he was just beginning his transition into maturity and was growing into a fantastic young man.

“As his parents, we are very proud of all he has accomplished and all of his aspirations.

“His brother is bereft beyond belief, and at this time we ask for privacy as a family to be allowed time to process and grieve.”

In Taunton, floral tributes have been placed for Mr. Webber.

The Bishops Hull Cricket Club in Somerset recognized the amateur cricketer as a beloved friend whose memory will live on.

The tribute continued: “‘Webbs’ joined the club back in 2021 and has since then been a key part of our club and made such an impact in such a short space of time.”

A gifted hockey player, Grace Kumar, also known as Grace O’Malley-Kumar, has been identified locally as the second victim. The authorities have not released the identify of the fifty-year-old male either.

The loss of Ms. Kumar “deeply saddened” England Hockey.

“Grace was a popular member of the England U16 and U18 squads and our thoughts are with Grace’s family, friends, teammates, and the whole hockey community at this time,” added the statement.

She was described as a “fiercely competitive, talented and dedicated cricketer and hockey player” who was “fun, friendly and brilliant” by the Woodford Wells Cricket Club in Essex, who also paid homage to her.

Additionally, the “much loved” team member’s passing “shocked and devastated” Southgate Hockey Club in London.

A picture of Ms. Kumar was released by Southgate Hockey Club.

In less than two hours, the terrible incident came to pass.

Around 4:00 BST, police were sent to Ilkeston Road, where they discovered the two pupils had suffered fatal injuries.

Approximately two miles (3.2 km) from the location of the first two homicides, on Magdala Road, the corpse of the guy whose vehicle was taken was discovered with knife wounds just after 5:00.

Three passengers were waiting at a bus stop on Milton Street in the city center when the vehicle struck them at around 05:30. One of those struck is still battling for their life in the hospital. Fortunately, the other two only suffered minor wounds.

The suspect was Tasered and taken into custody after the van was pulled up in the neighborhood of Maples Street shortly after the van assault.

What occurred and where in the assaults in Nottingham?

An Ilkeston Road residence was raided by armed cops in the afternoon.

Nottinghamshire Police called the event “horrific and tragic” and said that no one else was being sought in relation to the investigation.

Although it had been a terrible day for the city, Cllr. Mellen told BBC Breakfast that the “spirit of Nottingham will shine through this”.

“It was shown right at the start of this as people ran to help those who had been driven into as they were waiting for a bus first thing in the morning,” he said.

An eyewitness who saw a young guy and lady being stabbed at Ilkeston Road near the intersection of Bright Street told the BBC what he saw.

The guy, who wished to remain anonymous, reported hearing “awful, blood-curdling screams” and seeing a man “grappling with some people” while wearing all-black clothing and a bag.

“It was a girl, and a man or boy she was with – they looked quite young,” he said.

“‘Help!’ was her scream. All I could have done was yell something out of the window to startle the attacker.

“I saw him knife the girl after the boy. Four or five times was the stabbing done repeatedly. In the middle of the road, the boy fell.

“The girl staggered in the direction of a home and stayed still. They discovered her there after she vanished down a house’s side the next minute.”

With two universities and more than 50,000 students, Nottingham is a city with a sizable student population, and the assault has shocked the community.

One of the victims’ male classmates added, “It hurts, it hurts a lot.” I’ve never dealt with anything like this before, so it’s definitely a hardship in college.

“When anything occurs just outside your door, it may be frightening and unsettling. The road where I live runs straight to the location of the event.

“It makes you realize what’s important in life, to check on people and see how they’re doing.”

You may contact the BBC Action Line if any of the topics discussed in this article have touched you.

It was verified by the University of Nottingham that the two adolescent victims of the assault had been its students “with great sadness”.

The students’ union said that it was “devastated and shocked” by the assaults, and a scheduled graduation function was postponed on Tuesday.

Nottingham Trent University, which is nearby, stated that it has been in touch with students to comfort them and urge them to talk to staff members about any safety concerns.

Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, Paul Williams, declared the city to be “in shock” ahead of a church vigil on Tuesday night.

“But what people in Nottingham do is pull together, friendship is the heart of Nottingham,” he said.

“Deeply depressed”

“My thoughts are with those injured, as well as the family and loved ones of those who have lost their lives,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said that “all of those who’ve been involved, their friends, their families, and their communities” were the people she was thinking about most of all.

She asked everyone who knew anything about the event to call the police, saying they should be given “time and space” to look into it.

Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of Labor, sent his “thoughts to all those affected and to the emergency services who are responding”.

The Labour MP for Nottingham South, Lilian Greenwood, described the events as “absolutely devastated” for the whole city.

“My thoughts and prayers naturally go out to the families of Barnaby, Grace, and the other guy who was murdered yesterday, as well as to the others who are still in the hospital after the van’s impact.

“There’s nothing I can say to fix this situation. It’s very, really depressing.”

Extra coverage provided by Sean Seddon