Man arrested after 'role model' teenager stabbed to death in Birmingham

Police have arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder after another teenager credited with helping steer young footballers away from trouble was stabbed to death in Birmingham.

Officers were called to Tennal Road, Harborne, at 7.15pm on Wednesday, where paramedics treated an 18-year-old man for serious injuries.

Named as Jordan Moazami by a football club where he was a mentor and former player, he was pronounced dead at the scene soon after.

Paying tribute, Lincoln Moses, general manager of Continental Star FC based in Perry Barr, Birmingham, said Jordan had been "looked up to" by young players.

He said: "A lot of kids respected and looked up to him. We have people like Jordan who come back and volunteer and they're able to work with the young kids and he was a prime example of that.

"He was a mentor, and that's important for us, because we are a community organisation, engaging around 800 kids. It's important to have those role models like Jordan was, to engage those kids and steer them away from antisocial behaviour and that sort of thing.

"We don't know the circumstances of what happened, all I can tell you is since knowing him here, he has steered a lot of kids along the right road. He was an intelligent lad, a lot of people respected and liked him.

"He had been captain of the team, so he was able to command that respect both on and off the pitch.

"He was an excellent young man, and he was excellent with the kids here."

Detectives are still investigating at the scene of the attack and a cordon is in place, with extra patrols deployed.

The suspect remains in police custody, while a postmortem is being prepared for Friday.

Inspector Lee Trinder, from the neighbourhood policing team, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of this young man at this awful time.

"We also know the concern that last night's tragic killing has caused in Harborne and the wider Birmingham area.

"People can be assured that West Midlands Police's dedicated homicide team is working to establish exactly what has happened. Meanwhile, we will have extra uniformed officers on reassurance patrols, and I'd encourage anyone with particular concerns to stop and speak to them."

The killing comes as figures showed offences involving knives or sharp instruments increased by 6% in 2018 compared with the previous 12 months.

:: Anyone with information has been asked to contact police via live chat at http://www.west-midlands.police.uk, via 101 anytime, or Crimestopppers in complete confidence on 0800 555 111.