War between gangs 'led to fatal stabbing of teenager'

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Saturday, July 10, 2010, 07:00


War between gangs 'led to fatal stabbing of teenager'


A TURF war between rival drug gangs led to a teenager being stabbed to death in a Bristol street, it has been claimed.

Friends said the 18-year-old man, named locally as Abdi Razak, was stabbed "six or seven times" during the fight in Stapleton Road at about 11pm on Thursday.

He was taken to hospital in a minicab where he later died.

Up to 30 young men were involved in the confrontation which led to the teenager's death.

Eight were arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the incident. They include two 16-year-old boys, three 17-year-olds, an 18-year-old and two 20-year-olds.

Abdi, who used to go to Bristol City Academy, was one of eight children who lived with an aunt in Fishponds.

His mother was out of the country when she heard of her son's death and is thought to be travelling back to Britain.

People living and working in Easton said there had been trouble for months between drug dealers over territory.

Taj Uddin, 34, of Seymour Road, was watching TV when he heard the commotion and came out to see what had happened.

He said: "I knew him. I heard he was stabbed six or seven times.

"His friends were trying to take him to hospital in a minicab but the police were saying he had to go by ambulance."

Mr Uddin said some Somali boys had become involved in drug dealing and had clashed with Bristol-born black kids from St Paul's. They got jealous and came over and were saying things like 'You can't sell drugs in my yard'."

Amina Mohammed, 38, a close friend's of Abdi's mother, refuted claims that he was involved with drug dealers.

She said: "He was a good person, from a nice family. Someone told me he had been stabbed and I got here at about 12 o'clock but he had already been taken to hospital. When I got there they would not let me in."

A 17-year-old friend, who only wanted to be known by her first name Honey, said: "We were at school together.

"He stayed at our house for a while and he was a nice person. He always cared for me and looked out for his friends. He should be remembered as a nice person."

A local shopkeeper, who did not want to be named, said trouble flared at 6pm and there were angry exchanges all evening which he thought would have been caught on a CCTV camera in Stapleton Road.

"There were a bunch of kids, about 30 of them. They were arguing, pushing and screaming and fighting.

"If this was being monitored on CCTV you would expect something to have been done to stop it. The police came at about 8.30pm and of course the kids all disappeared so they went again.

"If they had remained or stepped up patrols it might not have happened. Police officers should be there to take care of the safety of the community."

Police sealed off part of Stapleton Road between Easton Way and St Marks Road and closed a number of other streets including Villiers Road, Walton Street and Tudor Road to carry out forensic examinations.

An underpass was also closed, as was the entrance to the car park of the Empire gym. About a dozen people who had been using the gym could not leave until 1.45pm until the police had collected evidence from the pavement at the car park entrance.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones said police were called to a disturbance at the junction of Stapleton Road and Villiers Road at 11pm and by that time the victim had already been taken to hospital by minicab with serious injuries.

He said: "A murder investigation has begun and eight people are in custody. We are still trying to ascertain the motive for the incident. We have a number of lines of inquiry and we are keeping an open mind as to what the motive might have been."

He said he realised the investigation had caused a great deal of inconvenience to residents and traders and thanked them for their patience.

DCI Jones said the victim had not been identified and he could not confirm his name.

He said officers were still searching for the murder weapon but could not say if it was a knife.

Reverend Dawnecia Palmer runs prayer patrols in Easton and other areas of Bristol.

She is was planning a safety conference in September to deter gangs from violence.

She said: "A grandmother begged me to go out and talk to these young people," she said. "Her three grandchildren were in a gang and she was worried.

"I am so distraught to hear of this. Only fools take lives, that's my motto. If you want to be cool you've got to respect life. What a waste of a beautiful life. We have got to teach young people the value of life."

The reverend believes there now needs to be a unified fight to stamp out the problem and get gangs talking to each other.

"It's all about ownership, it's about territory. The police have been trying through patrols, out-reach schemes and education, but we need to look at it holistically. Everything needs to be run together but to be honest they haven't been.

"I want to do a talent thing, to get them to use their talents, rapping or whatever, to do their talking through that. I will put up a prize for those who keep their cool.

"My prayers really go out to the family."

Any witnesses who have not yet spoken to the police or anyone with information is asked to contact the investigation team on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.