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Teenager killed in Camden street ‘chased by trio armed with machete’

A 16-year-old boy who was stabbed to death in north-west London was being chased by three young men armed with a machete, according to a witness.

The victim collapsed near the doorstep of a home in Munster Square, Camden at around 11.10pm on Monday.

The three men were “screaming and laughing” as they pursued him, according to the witness, who did not want to be named.

The victim could be heard banging on a family’s front door appealing for help before he was stabbed, she said.

Camden stabbing
A woman arrives to place flowers near the scene (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

She added: “I was just in my room and all I heard was screaming and shouting.

“Through my bedroom window I could see everything.

“We just saw the three boys holding him.

“He said ‘help me, help me, help me’.

“He collapsed on the floor and then it was quiet.”

The victim’s stomach was visibly bloodied, she said, adding that the attackers fled in a car.

London homicides in 2019
(PA Graphics)

The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

The force said a murder investigation had been launched and that inquiries into the circumstances were ongoing. No arrests have been made.

A man who lives near to where the body was found, who did not want to be named, said the square has recently become A hotspot for drug taking and groups of men regularly gather there.

A crowd of emergency services and members of the local community were at the scene following the attack, he added.

At the scene on Tuesday afternoon a large police cordon remained in place, and stretched across a number of nearby roads.

Flowers have been left at the scene as a tribute to the young victim.

In Munster Square, a first aid bag could be seen on the pavement close to a bollard, with white sheeting on the ground outside one of the flats.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number CAD8433/12Aug.