London has recorded its highest ever level of teenage homicides in a single year after two teens were killed on Thursday.
A 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death in a park in Croydon on Thursday night, while a 16-year-old boy died after being stabbed in Hillingdon.
The killings were the 29th and 30th teenage homicides in the capital in 2021, surpassing the previous peak of 29 in 2008.
Officers were called to reports of an assault in Ashburton park shortly after 7pm on Thursday and arrived to find the boy with stab wounds.
The Metropolitan Police said the officers gave first aid to the boy before the ambulance service arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim’s family have been informed. Formal identification has not yet taken place and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course, Scotland Yard said. No arrests have been made.
Meanwhile, the London Ambulance Service was called shortly after 7.30pm on Thursday to reports of an injured male at Philpotts Farm Open Space, close to Heather Lane in Yiewsley, Hillingdon, west London.
Officers attended and found a 16-year-old boy suffering from a puncture wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 8.25pm.
Formal identification has yet to take place and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.
