19-year-old Grace Kumar was among three people who lost their lives due to stabbing incidents in England’s Nottingham city in the early hours of Tuesday. Barnaby Webber, 19 and another man aged 50 were the other two victims, while three more people were hit by a van, reportedly stolen from the older stabbing victim by the suspect, the primary investigation indicated.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and is being interrogated on suspicion of murder by the police, the BBC reported. The suspect originally hails from West Africa and has a history of mental health issues, however has no criminal records, the police said.
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What happened?
The fatal incident unfolded in less than two hours. The police arrived in Notingham’s Ilkeston Road around 04:00 BST where two students were found fatally injured. Nearly an hour later, the body of the unidentified victim in his 50s was found with knife wounds in Magdala Road, very close to the scene of first killings.
At 5:30 BST, the suspect drove the van into three people waiting at a bus stop on Milton Street in the city. One of them remains hospitalised following the incident, while the other two people escaped with minor injuries.
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{{/usCountry}}At 5:30 BST, the suspect drove the van into three people waiting at a bus stop on Milton Street in the city. One of them remains hospitalised following the incident, while the other two people escaped with minor injuries.
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{{/usCountry}}Soon after, the van was stopped in nearby Maples Street and the suspect was held after being tasered by the police.
The police also carried out raids on a property on Ilkeston Road in the afternoon but said they were not looking for anyone else as part of the investigation. The exact motive of the attack is yet to be identified, however, the police said no link to extremism has been confirmed yet.
BBC quoted sources as saying that the suspect was not a British citizen but was living in the United Kingdom for “many years”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reacted to the tragic incident saying "My thoughts are with those injured, and the family and loved ones of those who have lost their lives." Grace and Webber, both aged 19, were young and aspiring sports players, the friends and family remarked.
While Grace played for England under-18s hockey team, Webber, was an amateur cricketer. Both of them studied at the University of Nottingham.