A young man in his 20s was fatally stabbed in Hackney Downs Park in east London at around 1:45pm on Monday, according to police. The victim, described by friends as a 'chilled guy' and a 'good family man,' was on his way to a shop when he was ambushed, a friend told Metro.
Victim remembered as kind and hardworking
A friend who visited the crime scene said: 'I'm bamboozled by this. He was just a chill dude, a very nice person. When we were younger we hung out on the same estate and he would help elderly people carry their shopping and stuff like that. He had a job working nights, and I've been told he was going to the shop on his own when he was attacked. This just doesn't add up. He is a family person, great with his mum and brother. I'm absolutely shocked and upset. It's scary out there.'
School nearby, parents express horror
The park is opposite Mossbourne Community Academy and near the Stormont school for pupils with special needs. A parent at Mossbourne told Metro: 'My reaction is absolute horror. The kids walk through the park and play there after school. Nothing happened to any of the children, thank goodness, because it's the holidays – but it's a big shock. I have noticed in the hot weather, the atmosphere in the park has changed with big groups of young men being quite intimidating.'
Another parent said: 'My children use the park all the time. It's heartbreaking someone has died and it's very worrying for us. We have been told there has been no one arrested, so the killer is still out there somewhere. Obviously it was the holidays, so our children were not at school, but it does make us feel unsafe.'
Police investigation underway
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'Our investigation remains in the early stages and officers are working at pace to identify those responsible. Police will remain in the area overnight as our enquiries continue, and I encourage anyone with any information to contact us.' Forensics officers are at the scene, and detectives are analysing CCTV footage. No arrests have been made.
Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing for the area, said: 'We understand that this incident occurred close to a school in broad daylight, which will be hugely concerning for local residents. We don't believe this to involve any pupils at the school and are treating this as an isolated incident. We will continue to update the community when we can.'
Community reaction
Parents Marsha and Jordan were at the park with their young daughter. Marsha, 41, told Metro: 'This is very upsetting, we come here a lot. The man who died was not a teenager, but he was young; he hadn't lived life yet. It's so worrying for families. I also have two young boys, so this type of thing is something that affects me. The use of knives is the thing that's changed since I was young. I was brought up near what they called Hackney's Mile, but I think things are worse now.'
Gideon Pecoraro said: 'I'm going to have a child soon, and this is the park we use. It's horrendous. I'm a big fan of the area, but this is very worrying.' Dog walker Jess Aldritch, 26, told Metro: 'It's a lovely park and it's gut-wrenching what has happened. A friend of mine was in the park yesterday when it all kicked off. You just don't expect something like this to happen during the day. The park was full of families, joggers and people with dogs. My friend told me people were shepherded away by police and there was a bit of panic.'
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
