Current:Home > Markets2 children dead and 11 people injured in stabbing rampage at a dance class in England, police say-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
2 children dead and 11 people injured in stabbing rampage at a dance class in England, police say
View Date:2024-12-23 19:00:33
LONDON (AP) — A teenage boy with a knife attacked a children’s dance and yoga class in northwest England on Monday, killing two children and wounding 11 other people in a “ferocious” rampage that sent bloodied children running into a street to escape the horror, police and witnesses said.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in the attack in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool, Merseyside Police said. The motive was not clear, but police said detectives were not treating the attack as terror-related.
Nine children were wounded, six of them in critical condition. Two wounded adults who tried to protect them also were in critical condition, police said.
“We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,” Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.
The Taylor Swift-themed workshop was held on the first week of school vacation for children aged about 6 to 11. An advertisement for the two-hour session promised yoga, dance and bracelet making.
Witnesses described hearing blood-curdling screams and seeing children covered in blood.
“They were in the road, running from the nursery,” said Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby. “They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere,” indicating neck, back and chest.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack “horrendous and deeply shocking.”
Merseyside Police said officers were called at about noon to an address in Southport, a seaside town of about 100,000 people near Liverpool. It called it a “major incident” but said there was no wider threat to the public.
“When they arrived they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries,” Kennedy said.
Colin Parry, an auto body shop owner, said most of the stabbing victims appeared to be young girls.
“The mothers are coming here now and screaming,” Parry said. “It is like a scene from a horror movie. ... It’s like something from America, not like sunny Southport.”
The suspect, who has not been identified, lived in a village about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the site of the attack, police said. He was originally from Cardiff, Wales.
Ryan Carney, who lives with his mother in the street, said his mother saw emergency workers carrying children “covered in red, covered in blood. She said she could see the stab wounds in the backs of the children.”
“All this stuff never really happens around here,” he said. “You hear of it, stabbings and stuff like that in major cities, your Manchesters, your Londons. This is sunny Southport. That’s what people call it. The sun’s out. It’s a lovely place to be.”
Britain’s worst attack on children occurred in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton shot 16 kindergarten pupils and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. The U.K. subsequently banned the private ownership of almost all handguns.
Mass shootings and murders with firearms are rare in Britain, where knives were used in about 40% of homicides in the year to March 2023. Several headline-grabbing attacks and a recent rise in knife crime have stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons.
veryGood! (8573)
Related
- Glen Powell responds to rumor that he could replace Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible'
- Second spectator injured in Trump campaign rally shooting released from hospital
- When's the next Federal Reserve meeting? Here's when to expect updates on current rate.
- One Extraordinary Olympic Photo: Christophe Ena captures the joy of fencing gold at the Paris Games
- Where you retire could affect your tax bill. Here's how.
- Earthquake reported near Barstow, California Monday afternoon measuring 4.9
- New Mexico gets OK to seek $675M in federal grant to expand high-speed internet across the state
- A Pretty Woman Reunion, Ben Affleck's Cold Feet and a Big Payday: Secrets About Runaway Bride Revealed
- Taylor Swift Becomes Auntie Tay In Sweet Photo With Fellow Chiefs WAG Chariah Gordon's Daughter
- Orville Peck makes queer country for everyone. On ‘Stampede,’ stars like Willie Nelson join the fun
Ranking
- Jason Kelce Jokes He Got “Mixed Reviews” From Kylie Kelce Over NSFW Commentary
- Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary sentenced to life in prison for directing a terrorist group
- FCC launches app tests your provider's broadband speed; consumers 'deserve to know'
- Prosecutor opposes ‘Rust’ armorer’s request for release as she seeks new trial for set shooting
- Demure? Brain rot? Oxford announces shortlist for 2024 Word of the Year: Cast your vote
- Gymnastics at 2024 Paris Olympics: How scoring works, Team USA stars, what to know
- Robinson campaign calls North Carolina agency report on wife’s nonprofit politically motivated
- Law school grads could earn licenses through work rather than bar exam in some states
Recommendation
-
COINIXIAI Introduce
-
Israeli Olympians' safety must be top priority after another sick antisemitic display
-
Sheriff's deputy accused of texting and driving in crash that killed 80-year-old: Reports
-
Simone Biles and Team USA take aim at gold in the women’s gymnastics team final
-
California teen pleads guilty in Florida to making hundreds of ‘swatting’ calls across the US
-
Tesla recalling more than 1.8M vehicles due to hood issue
-
Mississippi’s capital city is catching up on paying overdue bills, mayor says
-
Donald Trump to attend Black journalists’ convention in Chicago
Like
- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke earlier this month, is expected to make full recovery
- Anthony Edwards cheers on Team USA table tennis after friendly trash talk, 'challenge' at 2024 Paris Olympics
- U.S. job openings fall slightly to 8.2 million as high interest rates continue to cool labor market