Young ‘family man’ killed in broad daylight in London park

A young man who was fatally stabbed in an east London park opposite a school was on his way to a shop’ when he was ambushed, his friends told Metro.

The victim, in his 20s, was described as a ‘chilled guy’ and a ‘good family man’. 

He was pronounced dead in Hackney Downs Park following the attack at about 1.45pm on Monday.

A friend who visited the crime scene said: ‘I’m bamboozled by this. He was just a chill dude, a very nice person. 

‘When we were younger we hung out on the same estate and he would help elderly people carry their shopping and stuff like that.

‘He had a job working nights, and I’ve been told he was going to the shop on his own when he was attacked. This just doesn’t add up.

‘He is a family person, great with his mum and brother. I’m absolutely shocked and upset. It’s scary out there.’

A forensics tent marks the spot where the victim died while a police cordon cuts off a section of Hackney Downs Park Road. 

Meanwhile, parents at a school just yards from the crime scene spoke of their ‘absolute horror’ over the lunchtime attack. 

Pupils at Mossbourne Community Academy regularly walk through the park on their way home after the final bell. 

The Stormont school for pupils with special needs also overlooks the crime scene. 

A parent at Mossbourne, which broke up for summer holidays last week, told Metro: ‘My reaction is absolute horror.

‘The kids walk through the park and play there after school. Nothing happened to any of the children, thank goodness, because it’s the holidays – but it’s a big shock.

‘I have noticed in the hot weather, the atmosphere in the park has changed with big groups of young men being quite intimidating.’

Another said: ‘My children use the park all the time. It’s heartbreaking someone has died and it’s very worrying for us.

‘We have been told there has been no one arrested, so the killer is still out there somewhere.

‘Obviously it was the holidays, so our children were not at school, but it does make us feel unsafe.’

A staff member at the school said: ‘The school had broken up for the holidays so [no pupils] were here. The staff that were here didn’t find out about the incident until the end of the day.’

Forensics officers are at the scene while detectives are analysing CCTV footage from around the area. 

There have been no arrests as of yet and police are dispatching extra units around the area.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: ‘Our investigation remains in the early stages and officers are working at pace to identify those responsible.

‘Police will remain in the area overnight as our enquiries continue, and I encourage anyone with any information to contact us.’

Hackney Downs remained open today while investigators worked at the scene, watched on by families and dog walkers.

Parents Marsha and Jordan were there with their young daughter.

Marsha, 41, told Metro: ‘This is very upsetting, we come here a lot. The man who died was not a teenager, but he was young; he hadn’t lived life yet.

‘It’s so worrying for families. I also have two young boys, so this type of thing is something that affects me. The use of knives is the thing that’s changed since I was young.

‘I was brought up near what they called Hackney’s Mile, but I think things are worse now.’

Gideon Pecoraro said: ‘I’m going to have a child soon, and this is the park we use. It’s horrendous.

‘I’m a big fan of the area, but this is very worrying.’

Dog walker Jess Aldritch, 26, told Metro: ‘It’s a lovely park and it’s gut-wrenching what has happened. A friend of mine was in the park yesterday when it all kicked off.

‘You just don’t expect something like this to happen during the day. The park was full of families, joggers and people with dogs.

‘My friend told me people were shepherded away by police and there was a bit of panic.’

Detective Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads policing for the area, said: ‘We understand that this incident occurred close to a school in broad daylight, which will be hugely concerning for local residents.

‘We don’t believe this to involve any pupils at the school and are treating this as an isolated incident.

‘We will continue to update the community when we can.’

Anybody with information is asked to call police on 101. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org