(Southport) “Shock” and “disbelief” reigned in Southport and across the UK on Tuesday after a knife attack killed three girls and injured eight others at a dance class in the north-west of England.
Police announced the death of a nine-year-old girl on Tuesday morning from her injuries. The first two victims, who died on Monday, were aged six and seven.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested shortly after the tragedy which took place on Monday, in the middle of the school holidays, during an activity for children aged six to eleven on the theme of the American star Taylor Swift.
The singer, who is currently on a world tour, said she was “completely shocked” in a message posted on Instagram. “They were just little kids in a dance class.”
The police have not yet given any indication of a possible motive, simply stating that the terrorist lead is not being considered at this stage.
In the small seaside town about twenty kilometres from Liverpool, the population is horrified. Tributes are pouring in: passers-by leave flowers, cards or stuffed animals in Hart Street, the street of mourning.
“I can’t believe it happened so close to here,” said Leanne Hassan, whose daughter was at a nearby daycare. “Children should be safe in a holiday club… they should be able to enjoy their holidays without fear of being stabbed.”
The population is in a state of “shock, disbelief and frustration as they wait for news of the other injured,” Nigel Fawcett-Jones, chaplain of a local evangelical association, also told AFP. According to the latest police report, five of the eight injured children are in a “critical” condition.
Two adults were also seriously injured, probably while trying to “protect” the children. According to British media, they are the club’s host and a man working nearby, Jonathan Hayes, 63.
His wife, Helen, told the Daily Telegraph he was stabbed in the leg as he tried to intervene. “He heard screams and went outside, he saw the attacker, he saw he had injured a child and tried to take the knife away from him.”
Witnesses to the tragedy described horrific scenes with bleeding children running out into the street and distraught mothers searching for their little ones.
Some reported seeing the masked attacker arrive in a taxi and refusing to pay for his fare. Shockwaves have spread across the UK. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper visited the scene on Tuesday morning to meet with police.
A city “in mourning”
According to the account of events given by the police, who were called to the scene shortly before noon Monday (7 a.m. Eastern time), the assailant entered the building and began attacking the children who were participating in this activity, presented by the organizers on social networks as a dance and yoga class on the theme of Taylor Swift. British fans of the singer have launched a collection on the Internet which has already raised several tens of thousands of euros in a few hours.
The local football club cancelled a friendly match scheduled for the evening and opened the lounge of its stadium for residents to gather after the tragedy. “The town is in shock and mourning,” local MP Patrick Hurley told AFP. A vigil is planned for later in the day.
The shockwaves have spread across the UK. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper visited the scene on Tuesday morning to meet with law enforcement. Speaking to reporters, she spoke of “deep sadness across the country”.
“I know the whole country is deeply shocked,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, while King Charles III offered his “deepest condolences, prayers and deepest sympathy” in a statement.
The United Kingdom, where the carrying of firearms is strictly restricted, is experiencing a resurgence in knife violence (attacks on people, burglaries, etc.), which often involves young people. They have almost doubled in ten years, according to the Office for National Statistics.