A mother was forced to stand at a police cordon and watch as her 16-year-old son bled to death after he was stabbed to death with “swords” in a busy central London street.

www.telegraph.co.uk  -  By Hayley Dixon

The boy, who has not been named, was heard screaming for his life as he was attacked in Lupus street, Pimlico, shortly before 7pm yesterday, eyewitnesses have claimed.

He was rushed to hospital where he died from his wounds, becoming the first teenager to be killed in London this year.

Scotland Yard have launched a murder inquiry and said that they are keeping an “open mind” on the motive for the attack.

Witnesses told the Evening Standard that teenager’s mother ran up to the police cordon as paramedics tried to save him.

Steve Russell, 46, a project manager, He said: “She was screaming with grief and shouting her son’s name but they wouldn’t let her through.”

Other eyewitnesses described seeing at least four men attacking the boy before he collapsed in a pool of his own blood.

Mohammed Alzubaidi, 49, from nearby Peabody Close, said his friend witnessed a gang of black and white teenagers carrying out the attack.

“He said they were carrying knives, some of them with wide swords. He said the victim was screaming and trying to get away,” Mr Alzubaidi said.

He said his friend told him the gang had scattered and run off in different directions.

A 22-year-old resident of a block of flats overlooking the murder scene, who asked not to be named, said: “I came outside just seconds after it happened because I heard a lot of commotion and the victim was shouting.

“I came outside and saw the victim standing and holding his stomach and about three or four young blokes running down the street opposite.

“He was reeling and swaying for about 20 seconds and then fell and then people started gathering and calling the ambulance.

“It was a pretty serious wound – you could see it from a long way off. It was horrible. Once everyone had left there was a huge puddle of blood.

The victim is believed to be a resident of the Churchill Gardens Estate which is plagued with gang crime and street violence.

The problems in the area have become so bad that the estate has received a lottery grant to improve the area and is taking part in a pilot scheme to give local residents a greater say on improvements.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said there have been no arrests.

He said: “A murder inquiry is now under way and an incident room will open in due course under detectives from the Specialist Crime and Operations Directorate.

“We must retain an open mind re the circumstances of the incident and any motive at this early stage.”

The murder scene in Lupus Street remained cordoned off this morning with a number of police present.

The street, close to Pimlico Underground station, is bordered by extensive council estates on one side and is home to Pimlico Academy.

A 58-year-old local resident, who did not want to be named, said there had been two murders in nearby Gloucester Street in recent years and a stabbing of a boy outside a row of shops in Lupus Street before Christmas.

“The violence that has started to occur around here is something else, it is frightening for all the residents,” she said.

“You used to be able to walk around at night but I am starting to be very wary, especially at night-time.”

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Categories: BREAKING NEWS, END TIMES, WORLD NEWS

Tags: Gang, Gloucester Green, London, Metropolitan Police, Pimlico, Pimlico Academy, Pimlico tube station, Scotland Yard