Southport Mourns 3 Stabbing Victims: ‘Just Little Girls Who Wanted to Dance’

[Pelican Press 0]

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Southport Mourns 3 Stabbing Victims: ‘Just Little ****** Who Wanted to Dance’

It was one of the first days of summer break, and a group of young ****** was dancing to Taylor Swift songs in a studio on a quiet street in Southport, in northwest England.

As the class, which also included yoga and bracelet making, was drawing to an end on Monday morning, an attacker walked in and rampaged through the room with a ******, stabbing the children and two adults.

Two ****** — Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7 — ***** of their injuries on Monday, the Merseyside Police said in a

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, while a third, 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, ***** in the hospital early Tuesday. Eight other children were injured, five of whom remain in critical condition in the hospital, along with two adults who had tried to protect them,

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The question of why such an unremarkable summer morning, filled with dancing and fun, had turned to horror was on the minds of many residents of Southport, a seaside town of about 95,000 people, on Tuesday as they grappled with the ********* that had visited their quiet community.

“It was just little ****** who wanted to dance,” said Carol Sansom, 76, who had come with her husband to lay flowers on Hart Street, where the class was held. They have lived in the neighborhood for more than five decades and described it as a residential place where they raised four children.

A 17-year-old from a nearby village was arrested on Monday on suspicion of ******* and attempted ******* and is still being questioned by police, who said they did not know the motive for the *******. “The incident is not currently being treated as *******-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it,” the police said in a statement.

“It’s just hitting that this is our town,” Ms. Sansom said. “It’s just horrendous.” While she and her husband paused at the corner, a neighbor stopped by and relayed the news that one of the ****** who ***** was the niece of an acquaintance, to gasps from the couple.

Tony Carney, 36, who works at a nursing home around the corner, said the authorities had told his workplace to lock itself down right after the ******* on Monday. “The grief, it has spilled out into everyone’s lives here, even if you don’t know anyone involved,” he said as a stream of mourners filed past to leave flowers and written tributes.

Many people wanted to express support for the victims and their families, others to share their grief or to try to make sense of how this had happened in their community.

Some simply stood in the street and cried.

A young girl wearing the sparkly blue dress of Elsa from “Frozen” came with her grandparents and younger brother and ***** bright pink flowers at the brick wall.

Tia Rose, 26, who lives in Southport, held her 2-year-old daughter in her arms, the child’s face shielded from the sun by a straw hat, as she crouched down to leave a bouquet.

“Last night, I went and got her out of bed and brought her in with me,” she said as she held her daughter to her chest. “As a mother, I just can’t even imagine it.”

Ms. Rose’s sunglasses partially hid her tears as she spoke. She said it was impossible to understand why someone would ******* children in this way.

She said she thought the ******* must have been targeted “because why else would you come down here?” she asked, gesturing at the largely residential street. “I come here almost once a week for different appointments, and now I don’t know if I will be able to come back.”

Ms. Swift, whose music had inspired the dance and yoga event, expressed her shock in a statement on social media on Tuesday. “The horror of yesterday’s ******* in Southport is washing over me continuously,” she wrote.

She went on: “The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Southport to pay his respects to the victims and their families on Tuesday afternoon. They were “going through raw pain and grief that most of us can’t imagine, I can’t imagine as a dad myself,” he said in

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He shook the hands of firefighters and ambulance crew members who had responded to the ******* and, according to the BBC, told them, “I really want you to focus on the fact that there are children today alive because of what you did yesterday. That is incredible.”

Later, Mr. Starmer ***** flowers at the police cordon. Around 100 people had gathered, mostly silently, but a small group, some of whom had been streaming live video from the site since the morning, shouted questions at the leader. One man yelled, “You have your photos. Off you go. Make some real change, prime minister! How many kids will be ******* on our streets?” The man declined to give his name.

The authorities warned against speculation about the identity of the suspect, which has swirled online since Monday. The police said that one name that had circulated widely on social media and was rumored to be that of a suspect was incorrect.

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, young people who are under ********* investigation cannot be named until they turn 18, except in very rare circumstances.

Hundreds of residents gathered in front of an arts venue in the center of town on Tuesday evening to hear from local leaders, holding bouquets and clutching one another. Many wept.

Jane Burns, the mayor of Sefton, the region that Southport is part of, told those gathered here that she hoped the community had found some comfort in coming together.

“Reach out and help,” she told residents. “Be kind, and let’s allow the families to grieve the way they wish to grieve. I ask for calm and respect at this time.”

While the situation had remained peaceful all day, a group of protesters clashed with police on Tuesday evening, about an hour after the vigil had ended. The Merseyside Police said they believed those involved in the confrontation were supporters of the English Defense League, a far-right extremist organization.

The group hurled bottles and garbage cans at the police, threw items at a mosque and set a police vehicle on *****. Twenty-two officers were injured, Merseyside police

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. The police also said an order allowing them to search people at will was in force.

“It is sickening to see this happening within a community that has been devastated by the tragic loss of three young lives,” Alex Goss, the assistant chief constable of Merseyside Police, said in a statement. “Yesterday, our officers and other members of the emergency services were faced with one of the most difficult situations they will ever face. Tonight, they find themselves being attacked as they endeavor to prevent disorder.”

Mr. Goss noted that many people involved in the ********* did not live in the area, and he said that false information about the attacker being originally from outside Britain had driven the riot.

“We have already said that the person arrested was born in the U.K. and speculation helps nobody at this time,” he added.

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#Southport #Mourns #Stabbing #Victims #****** #Wanted #Dance

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