A murder investigation has been launched into the death of a 13-year-old boy after he was stabbed in Oldbury, West Midlands police have said.
The force said officers were called to a property in Oldbury, west of Birmingham, at about 4pm on Thursday by the ambulance service. A boy was found with stab wounds and treated by paramedics but could not be saved.
The boy was killed inside his home, according to Ch Supt Kim Madill, the Sandwell police commander. She told a press conference that “a team of detectives [is] investigating exactly what happened and we’re following active lines of inquiry to find the suspects … This is a truly sad and tragic incident where a young boy has lost his life.
“First and foremost, my thoughts – and the thoughts of all involved investigating the death of this young boy – remain firmly with the family and the loved ones. I know this will also have had a huge impact on the wider community, who will be shocked and concerned about what has happened.
“I’m grateful to our officers who attended the address and supported the paramedics as they worked in vain to try to save his young life. I’m here to let the family and wider community know we will work with you and support you as we seek to find who is responsible for the death of this young boy.”
She urged anyone with concerns or information “no matter how small” to come forward, either by speaking to the local officers and youth workers who will be in the neighbourhood over the coming days, or to log into an online portal on the West Midlands police website, where CCTV and Ring doorbell footage can also be uploaded.
Police cordoned off a semi-detached house in Lovett Avenue on Friday morning, and officers stood guard outside. Forensics officers were also at the scene. A number of people left floral tributes outside the house.
Gurinder Singh Josan, the Labour MP for Smethwick, wrote on X that he had been shocked by the news. He said: “This is a tragic waste of a young life and my thoughts, prayers and condolences are with the family and friends of the young boy.”
He thanked the West Midlands ambulance service for their efforts to save the boy, and urged anyone with information to contact West Midlands police via live chat or by calling 101, quoting log 3204 of 29/8/2024. The force was working “flat out to bring whoever is responsible into custody as soon as possible”, he said.
Caroline Reid, a Dudley councillor who lives in the area, described the situation as “heartbreaking” as she brought flowers to the scene.
She said her brother had been killed in 1998, and added: “I came here to pay my respects and put flowers down. I’ve lived this myself and even though it was 26 years ago, it still feels like yesterday and you relive it.”
She said she had come as a parent and neighbour to “pay respects”. “No one will understand what it is like unless you have walked those steps and been through it yourself,” she said. “There are no words. The grief is awful. This is someone who has lost a child. His poor mother, a part of her has gone.
“When you have lost someone like this, it is totally different to losing someone to illness. This is when you really know what loss is. When you lose a child, you feel their pain. It is just so sad.”
Reid added that the level of knife crime in the West Midlands was “awful”. She said: “It is so high – it’s boredom, there’s nothing for people to do, it’s the cost-of-living crisis. I felt it was my duty to come here and pay my respects.”
Malachi Nunes, a youth mentor in Sandwell at Ambitious Lives, also visited the scene and said he knew of the family involved. “Nobody knows exactly what has happened. You get a lot of things like this round here. It’s just terrible,” he said.
