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Death in the shade: Police stand guard near the scene where a screwdriver was recovered

When will it end? Another parent mourns ‘a good boy’

The father of a murdered teenager broke down at the scene of his son’s death last week, struggling to come to terms with his loss.

Even as Alex Mulumbu’s blood remained on the pavement where he was felled, distraught dad Kamondo hailed his son as “a good boy who never got into any trouble”.

He said Alex was never involved in gang activity, and he spoke with him just before he got off a bus at the Kennington Tube station.

Forensic officers were combing the scene Friday for clues. A red-handled screwdriver was still on the pavement close to the crime scene.

According to police reports, a gang of youths coerced Alex and his friends off a bus at Kennington tube station, south London. They were taken around a corner near the Black Prince pub where a verbal confrontation developed.

Investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Richard Heselben told The Voice: “There appears to have been an altercation and we then believe some of the larger group left, went into the estate and came back armed with various weapons.

“A fight ensued and the victim received a single stab wound to the left side of his chest which we believe pierced his heart, though we are waiting for the results of a post mortem.”

He added: “We have witnesses who described seeing people with baseball bats, hockey sticks, and we know there was at least one knife involved."

Alex died at St Thomas’ Hospital.

A local resident, who chose to stay anonymous, said: “It’s not nice, I’ve been here for eight years and I haven’t heard of these problems before. They have to do something. Knife crime has been too much, especially in the last two to three weeks. They should give more priority to these kinds of crimes. We need extra police to walk around, controlling teenagers. They are always together in large groups. They should be questioned. The larger the group, the more they’re looking for trouble.

“How are you supposed to feel safe? Whenever I see five or six teenagers together, I’m scared that they must be carrying something."

The police are appealing for additional witnesses. DS Heselben said: “From descriptions we've had, we appear to be looking for a group of about 10 youths, all described as black, in their late teens and all wearing dark clothing."

He added: “Knife crime is a problem in London and, my personal view is nobody wins when people carry knives. A lot of youths say it's for self-defence. But if you carry a knife it can only end in one of two ways; either you’re going to get hurt or you'll end up hurting someone.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact police at the incident room in Sutton on 020 87214054 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Published: 12 June 2006
Issue: 1222

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