Police have named the 19-year-old victim of a fatal stabbing in south London as they renewed their appeal for witnesses to come forward after the arrests of three men on suspicion of murder.
Lejean Richards was pronounced dead at the scene in Battersea just after 8.30pm despite paramedics battling to save his life after emergency services had responded to reports of a stabbing on Tuesday evening.
The Metropolitan police said they believe he was attacked by a group during an altercation involving up to six people and were “keeping an open mind” about the motive.
Two men, aged 19 and 27 were arrested on Wednesday morning after presenting themselves at a central London hospital, while another man, 20, is also in custody after he was arrested on suspicion of murder.
They have now been taken to separate central London police stations for questioning, with a post-mortem examination due to be held on Wednesday.
A crime scene remains in place in Westbridge Road opposite Wolsey Court in the area of a bus stop, and police are appealing for information and witnesses, including anyone with dashcam footage, to come forward.
Ch Supt Sally Benatar of the south west basic command unit said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Lejean at this sad time. This is another tragic death of a teenager as the result of a knife attack.
“We continue to work around the clock to find those responsible and bring them to justice. However, we cannot solve this alone, we need the public to help us. I am very thankful for the support of the community during the early stages of the investigation but I urge anyone with any further information about this crime to contact us by calling 101.”
She said she understood some people may be hesitant to contact the police, and recommended anyone who wished to pass on information to contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously or to visit www.fearless.org.
Separately, a teenager in Camden was left with life-changing injuries after being stabbed in the head multiple times on Tuesday at around 1am.
The 18-year-old remains in hospital but his injuries are not life threatening. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward, with no arrests having yet been made.
DC Ben Davis of the central north command unit said: “The victim, who was alone, was walking past Sainsbury’s on Hampstead Road when he was knocked over by a 4x4 vehicle.
“The occupants then got out and stabbed him multiple times before fleeing. We are working to establish the full circumstances and urge anyone who has information or dash camera footage that could help us to come forward.”
He added: “A young man is in hospital with life-changing injuries and it is imperative that we find those responsible.”
