Two children have been killed in a stabbing during a dance class in Southport, a seaside town in northwest England. Eleven people have been injured, and a young male suspect has been arrested by the police.
Here’s what we know so far:
What happened and when?
- At 11:47am (10:47 GMT) on Monday, a knife attack took place at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop at a yoga studio for children.
- According to social media posts by the studio hosting the event, the class was for children aged six to 11.
- The event was meant to last from 10am to noon and was run by two women, a yoga instructor and a dance instructor.
Where is Southport?
- The incident took place on Hart Street in Southport.
- Southport is a seaside town 32km (20 miles) north of Liverpool. It is home to about 100,000 people.
- Both Southport and Liverpool are part of Merseyside county.
What do we know about the victims?
- Two children were killed.
- Nine other children were injured. Six of them are in critical condition.
- Two adults were also injured while trying to protect the children and are in critical condition, according to the police.
What do we know about the suspect?
- A statement released by the Merseyside Police on Monday said the suspect is 17 and from Banks, Lancashire, about 8km (5 miles) from the site of the attack.
- He has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, said the statement, quoting Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
- The suspect was born in Cardiff, the capital and largest city of Wales. The statement added that the suspect has been taken to a police station where he will be investigated by detectives. No further details of the suspect have been revealed so far.
- While the suspect’s motives remain unclear, Merseyside Police said in an X post on Monday that “the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related.” The police are also not looking for any additional suspects.
How have UK authorities reacted?
- The North West Ambulance Service said it transported the victims to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Southport and Formby District General Hospital after dispatching “13 ambulances along with specialised resources”.
- Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is in Southport on Tuesday morning and is slated to meet community leaders as well as Kennedy and Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell.
- King Charles III said the attack was “truly appalling” and offered condolences and prayers for the victims.
- “Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X. Prior to his recent election, Starmer had promised to work towards curbing knife attacks in the United Kingdom.
Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport. My thoughts are with all those affected.
I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response.
I am being kept updated as the situation develops.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2024
Is knife crime on the rise in the UK?
- The UK strictly regulates gun ownership. The National Crime Agency reported that levels of firearm crimes in the UK remain among the lowest globally. The year ending in March 2021 saw the lowest level of gun violence in at least five years.
- The United States saw 4.31 deaths from gun violence per 100,000 people in 2021 while the UK had 0.013 deaths per 100,000, according to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
- Knife crimes, on the other hand, are common in the UK.
- For a decade leading up to 2023, 38 percent of homicide cases involved a sharp object, according to the House of Commons Library.
- According to a report published by the Office for National Statistics, “knife-enabled crime recorded by the police in the year ending September 2023 increased by 5 percent compared with the year ending September 2022”.
- However, the statistics for knife crimes were still lower than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Stabbing incidents have sporadically occurred in Southport. On Sunday, 38-year-old Mark Henderson was arrested for attempted murder after an 18-year-old transgender woman was stabbed. The victim is in stable condition.
- In April, the Merseyside Police arrested three suspects from Southport in connection to a stabbing that took place in the city on March 29. They were a 17-year-old boy; a man, 25; and a woman, 51.
What’s the latest from Southport?
- The site of the attack is cordoned off by the police, and people have been laying flowers for the victims on a street that has now gone quiet.
- In an X post on Monday, Merseyside Police said, “There is no wider threat to the public.”
- A vigil will be held on Tuesday evening, the BBC quoted the Labour MP for Southport, Patrick Hurley, as saying.
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