A 17-year-old male has been charged with the murders of three young girls and ten counts of attempted murder following a knife attack in Southport, England, officials announced Wednesday night.
Due to legal reasons, the accused cannot be named and is scheduled to appear before Liverpool Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, August 1. Additionally, he faces charges for possession of a bladed article.
The tragic incident occurred on Monday, resulting in the deaths of three children and injuries to nine others. Two adults were also hurt while attempting to shield the children from the attack, according to police reports.
The victims include Bebe King, aged 6, and 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, who were killed in the attack. The third victim, 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, succumbed to her injuries in the hospital on Tuesday morning.
Merseyside police stated that the children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed event at a dance school when the attack happened.
Officers were dispatched shortly before noon on Monday to a property in Southport, a seaside town approximately 20 miles north of Liverpool, following reports of a stabbing, according to Merseyside police.
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Earlier, police mentioned that a 17-year-old boy from Banks, a coastal village in Lancashire near Southport, had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. The suspect was reportedly born in Cardiff, Wales, according to police.