Boy, 13, among six people arrested over murder of 14-year-old in Birmingham
Six people, including a 13-year-old boy, have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 14-year-old was chased and stabbed to death in Birmingham.
Police said a post-mortem examination confirmed the male victim died from a stab wound to the chest.
A 33-year-old man was arrested from an address in Kingstanding, Birmingham, on Tuesday afternoon.
A 13-year-old boy was later detained in the Walsall area.
Police said another man aged 38 and a 14-year-old boy were arrested from a vehicle in Cheshire while two men, aged 36 and 35, surrendered to separate police stations in the West Midlands.
All six suspects remain in custody, police said.
Forensic officers have been at the scene a day after the stabbing
The young victim is thought to have been chased into College Road in the Kingstanding area of Birmingham at around 7.30pm on Monday before being stabbed.
An ambulance arrived at 7.35pm but the boy was confirmed dead at the scene a short time later.
The arrests come after West Midlands Police said there is “nothing to suggest” the stabbing was racially-motivated.
Officers later added they are “keeping an open mind” about the motive for the attack.
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‘A horrible situation’ – local resident
The force has voluntarily referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after “looking at previous incidents involving the victim”.
Two groups of youths clashed in front of police near to the scene around an hour after the stabbing.
Sky correspondent Frazer Maude has said police quickly dealt with the incident and the two groups were separated.
Some were placed in handcuffs but police have said no arrests were made.
A police cordon was still in place a day after the attack
Detective Chief Inspector Stu Mobberley, leading the investigation, said: “We’ve made rapid progress on the investigation so far and these arrests are a significant step forward.
“Our officers have executed a series of warrants in the region and we’ve worked with police forces outside the area to apprehend suspects.
“We’re still speaking to witnesses and really need to hear from anyone who has seen or heard something, even if they think we may already know or they’re not sure how important it is.
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Police clash with youths in Birmingham
“We are aware of many different rumours circulating about the motive for the murder but we are keeping an open mind and pursuing all lines of enquiry. We ask people not to speculate on social media.”
Labour MP Jack Dromey, whose Erdington constituency includes the area where the stabbing happened, said: “Truly shocking that a 14-year-old teenage boy in Kingstanding was stabbed to death this evening.”
Anyone who can help the investigation is asked to contact police by Live Chat on the force’s website, calling 101 quoting log 3313 of 31/5, or calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
The crash involving a cargo ship and oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast is bad news for the sea, fish and air in the area. What we don’t know yet is quite how bad it will be.
That depends on a few things – but the speed of the collision, clouds of filthy black smoke from the fires and the leaked fuel are certainly worrying.
Firstly, it matters what was on board those two massive vessels.
Follow live: Jet fuel spilling into sea after tanker collision
Analytics firm Vortexa estimates the 183m-long tanker was carrying about 130,000 barrels of jet fuel (kerosene), which is now leaking into the sea.
Jet fuel is not as sticky or viscous as heavier types of oil, thankfully, so it’s less likely to clog the feathers and fur of birds and seals. It can also be broken down by natural bacteria.
But it can still poison fish and kill animals and plants on the shoreline if it makes its way into the soil there.
The Marine Conservation Society has pointed out the site in the Humber estuary is close to some protected areas and is important for seabirds and harbour porpoises.
And both ships will have been powered by a dirtier, heavier kind of oil – likely marine gas oil or heavy fuel oil, though we don’t know the details yet.
Heavy fuel oil is nasty stuff.
Pic: Bartek Smialek/PA
Cheap, thick and tar-like, it can smother animals and is very dangerous if they consume it, and is extremely difficult to clean up. Let’s hope this isn’t creeping around the North Sea already.
We don’t know how much of either the jet fuel or the oil powering the ships has leaked, or how much will be burned off in the violent fires – which themselves are ploughing black smoke and filthy air pollution into the surrounding atmosphere.
And we don’t know for sure what was on the Solong cargo ship and if, or what, will go into the sea.
Cargo ship ‘had sodium cyanide on board’
It was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide among other cargo, according to a report from maritime data provider Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
The container vessel was also transporting an unknown quantity of alcohol, said the casualty report – an assessment of incidents at sea – citing a message from the local coastguard.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, and potentially can choke or trap animals.
Many of us have seen that uncomfortable viral video of a turtle having a straw yanked out of its nose. Previous accidents on cargo ships have seen plastic Lego pieces wash up in Cornwall 25 years later.
Read more:
How UK North Sea platforms dump gas
Secondly, the impact depends on the sea and weather conditions around it.
Things like the wind and currents affect how an oil spill spreads in the sea. Scientists can draw up computer models to simulate how the oil could behave.
Thirdly, it matters how quickly this is all tackled and then cleaned up, if necessary, and if it can be.
Usually the slower the response, the worse the impact.
The coastguard has said the incident “remains ongoing” and it has started assessing the “likely counter pollution response” that will be required.
Such a response might need the help of numerous public bodies: the government environment department, the transport department, the Environment Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
So for now the best we can hope for – aside from the welfare of the people involved – is that not all the oil is spilled or burnt, that conditions are calm and that rescuers and those cleaning up can work swiftly.
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