Community mourns boy, 15, stabbed to death and calls for action

Members of a community mourning the death of a 15-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed on Sunday night have called for action to prevent future tragedies.

Daejaun Campbell was found with a stab injury in Eglinton Road, Woolwich, at around 6.30pm. Despite the efforts of emergency services, he died at the scene.

His death has triggered waves of grief far from the street where he was killed. A prayer was performed and a candle lit at the scene on Monday night. Flowers, balloons and messages decorated the pavement where he fell.

The ceremony was attended by Daejaun’s family, friends and members of the community including Greenwich councillor Ivis Williams.

Speaking from the scene on Tuesday, the councillor for Shooters Hill said: “As a mother it was overwhelming to see.

“There were so many young people, not just from this street but from across the community. My heart broke when I saw their tears.”

For Cllr Williams, who said this is not the first time her community has lost someone to a stabbing, her heartbreak is mixed with a drive for change. 

She said: “Something needs to be done, there is a call to action.”

The Labour councillor said the local authority and Met must work together to integrate themselves better within the community.

She said: “The police must regain the trust of people here, especially within the black community.

“Young people need to feel safe to come forward if they are in danger.

“We don’t just want to see them turn up when someone dies.”

On Monday, Scotland Yard launched its latest steps to try to rebuild trust with London’s black community, which Met Commissioner Mark Rowley acknowledged had been “let down for many years”. 

The plan includes a new stop-and-search charter designed with the help of black communities to reset how the procedure is carried out as well as a training plan which educates new recruits on the lived experience of black Londoners.

Cllr Williams also raised the need to educate young people on the dangers of knife crime, and said there must be more opportunities and safe spaces for them to spend time outside of school.

Family and friends remained at the scene on Tuesday. Police tape cordoned off sections of the street as officers continued to scour the area for evidence. 

A woman, 43, who did not wish to be named, told Sky News about how she tried to save the victim as he lay in the road outside her flat.

She said she ran out of her home after hearing someone screaming that “someone’s been stabbed”.

She found the boy with a gash on his head and a “massive pool of blood” by his leg and stemmed the flow of blood until paramedics arrived.

She said: “He was going to me ‘I’m 15, I’m 15, don’t let me die’ and I said to him ‘you’re not going to die, mate’.”

Olumide Adeniji, who works in a neighbouring care home said he was inside with residents when the attack happened.

The 53-year-old said: “I came outside and police were everywhere. 

“Officers told me what had happened. The boy was so young.”

• Two men  – aged 52 and 18 – were arrested on suspicion of murder. Jacob Losiewicz, 18, of Church Manor Way, Abbey Wood, was charged on Wednesday with murder. He will appear in custody at Bromley Magistrates’ Court today. The second man has been released without charge. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0208 721 4005 quoting Operation Baghaze. You can also remain anonymous by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Pictured top: A Met officer stands near a police cordon and forensic tent on Paget Terrace, near the scene in Eglinton Road, Woolwich on Monday (Picture: PA)