A man has been charged following a triple stabbing that left a dog walker dead in west London.
Wayne Broadhurst, 49, was killed in the incident on Monday evening, while two others were injured, including a 14-year-old boy.
Afghan national Safi Dawood, 22, is accused of one count of murder, two of attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon following the knife attack in Uxbridge on Monday, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Dawood, who entered the UK on a lorry in 2020, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
A 45-year-old man stabbed in the attack was saved by his next door neighbours who rushed out armed with baseball bats to fend off the knifeman in of Midhurst Gardens, where Dawood also lives.
Jaswant Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London North, said: “Following the shocking triple stabbing which took place in Uxbridge on Monday evening, the Crown Prosecution Service has today announced Safi Dawood, 22, has been charged with the murder of Wayne Broadhurst and the attempted murder of two others.
“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.
“We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service as they carried out their investigation.”
The Met said Dawood and Mr Broadhurst were not known to one another.
Two other people — the 45-year-old, who remains in hospital with life-changing injuries, and the boy, later discharged from hospital with neither life-changing nor life-threatening injuries —are also being supported by officers.
“They were known to Safi Dawood,” a force spokesman said.
He added Dawood was assessed when he entered custody and later required hospital treatment after suffering a medical episode.
The suspect has since returned to police custody, where he remains ahead of his court appearance.
The managing director of Greener Ealing Ltd, which provides environmental services to Ealing Council, said Mr Broadhurst was a “dedicated member of our team”.
Katarina Pohancenikova said in the statement: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Wayne’s family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.
“This is a devastating loss. Wayne was a well-respected and dedicated member of our team who made a real contribution to the work we do and to the residents we serve.”
Greener Ealing shared a photograph of the Liverpool supporter wearing the football club’s hat, as well as the company’s high-vis.
The 45-year-old survivor suffered life-changing injuries, but “maybe would have died” had he not been protected by the group, a resident said.
A woman who lives next to the scene in Midhurst Gardens said a teenage boy with blood on his shirt and hand knocked on the door of her family home asking for help at around 5pm.
When her husband opened the door, four or five residents from a house opposite emerged with baseball bats to protect the injured man.
Tahira Hassan said: “The injured person was sitting in front of their house.
“They had bats. There were four or five people.
“They were protecting him, so they saved his life. They did a very good job.
“Maybe he would have died if they didn’t protect him,” the mother said.
The 45-year-old victim has a wife, son and daughter, and lives in a house on Midhurst Gardens, Mrs Hassan, who is in her 40s, added.
She said she thought his wife and daughter may have been out at the time.
The teenager who knocked on their door had blood on his shirt and hand “but the older man was injured badly”, she said.
A woman who lives in Midhurst Gardens, who did not want to be named, told reporters she saw the incident out of her window after hearing screaming.
She said: “I called my brother to come and have a look and then he called the police, and then whilst we were on the phone to police that’s when the dog walker came from the alleyway.
“He literally walked from the alleyway not knowing what he was about to walk into.
“As soon as he got in front of a house the man with the knife sort of pushed him over, literally in front of our house, and then got on top of him.
“We were on the phone with the police at the time and also telling the police this is happening right now, like, you know, please hurry.
“Afterwards (the attacker) got up and then he ran down the street.”
The attack is not being treated as terrorism, and detectives are working to establish any relationship between the suspect and the three victims, Scotland Yard said.
Footage posted online appears to show the suspect walking along a residential street, before two police officers sprint after him, one pointing a Taser and shouting “drop the knife” and “get on the floor”.
One neighbour who did not want to be named said Mr Broadhurst was a binman who was “just doing the normal dog walk that he does every day”.
“I’ve been here two years and would see him walk past the window,” she said.
The woman described him as “the last person on Earth that you would think somebody would go for”.
She said she took some flowers and a box of shortbread over for his partner and added: “I still can’t get over it.
“If he was five or 10 minutes later taking the dog out would the same thing have happened?”
A group of around 100 men, women and children gathered to lay flowers near the police tape at the junction between Midhurst Gardens and Leybourne Road on Tuesday night, with some lighting candles.
Chief Superintendent Jill Horsfall said: “This was a shocking and senseless act of violence that has left one man dead and two others injured.
“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends at this unimaginably difficult time.”
