Israel Ogunsola, an 18-year-old of Nigerian descent, was on Wednesday knifed to death in London, taking the number of people killed in the city to more than 50 this year.
Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with the stabbing which reportedly took place on Link Street, Hackney.
Ogunsola’s death comes 10 days after Abraham Badru, son of member, Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Dolapo Badru, was shot dead also in Hackney.
Police officers found Ogunsola wounded after they were alerted by a motorist just before 8 pm on Wednesday.
He was given first aid but died at the scene at 8:24 pm.
The Guardian of London reports residents of homes overlooking Link Street described hearing a commotion and “very loud shouting” at about 8 pm. One said her brother and his friend had gone outside and found police trying to resuscitate the victim.
“I then went out there about 10 minutes later, this time there was ambulance, air ambulance, the police was there and they were all around this young person trying to save his life,” she said.
“I then came back up to my house and I went back down just to see if the person’s still alive or what’s happening and that’s when I saw the body just lying there, covered with a red blanket over it. So I then knew the person had passed away.
The Metropolitan police confirmed that officers on patrol on Morning Lane found the teenager at 8 pm after they were flagged down by a driver who told them there had been an incident nearby.
“My officers … did all they could to try to save the life of the teenager, rendering emergency first aid and chest compressions with the help of an off-duty paramedic until the ambulance service and London’s air ambulance arrived,” said Ch Supt Sue Williams, who leads the Hackney and Tower Hamlets police command. “They are devastated they were unable to prevent yet another tragic death in the capital.”
Ogunsola had been charged with ABH, dangerous driving without a licence, having no insurance and being in possession of cannabis after an incident in Stevenage in November that left a police officer with a head injury.
A friend of the teenager said that he had been a student at the University of Hertfordshire – which is based in Stevenage – but had recently returned home to live with his parents.
“Israel was just – he was a nice person,” said the sobbing 19-year-old, who gave her name as Petronel, as she stood by the police tape bisecting Morning Lane.
She had last seen him the previous day when she learned he was back in London. “I hugged him, thinking that I might just see him again tomorrow.”
Ogunsola’s dad, Dele Ogunsola, told the Standard his son was a “well brought up boy” and added: “The bloodshed must stop. London’s streets are so dangerous. Young people are being slaughtered every day.
“If it means bringing back more stop and search, then so be it. We have to tackle this problem and the Government needs to do more.”
Checks show that Ogunsola was Facebook friends with the 17-year-old, Tanesha Melbourne, gunned down in Tottenham on Monday.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he “did not accept that the police have lost control of crime in London” but insisted “there is a crime issue across the country”.
“You can’t cut 40% from the Met Police and 46% from youth provisions in London and not expect to see consequences”.
