Teenager charged with murder over stabbing death of drill performer Jordan Douherty

Police still appealing for information from 100-plus young people at scene of party that turned violent

(Metropolitan Police)

A teenage boy has been charged with the murder of drill performer Jordan Douherty, 15, who died when he was beaten and stabbed by more than five attackers near a community centre in Romford. The assault took place during a birthday party.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder at an address in Newham, and will appear at London's Old Bailey.

Jordan, from Grays in Essex, performed drill music under the name Young Valenti. He was attacked three times in a matter of seconds, amid violent scenes created when 200 teenagers swarmed to the party and some had been asked to leave.

A post-mortem examination found that Jordan died from hypovolemic shock caused by a stab wound to the left ventricle of the heart.

Metropolitan Police Chief Inspector Larry Smith said: “We believe that this birthday party was advertised on social media, resulting in a large number of people attending. A number of people were escorted out of the community centre and this led to a fight breaking out, and, tragically, Jordan receiving fatal injuries.

“A bus driver who was assaulted received his injuries as a result of refusing to take a number of partygoers who wanted to leave the scene. Response team officers who attended the initial calls were confronted with up to 100-plus youths and I would like to directly appeal to those present to contact police about what they saw and heard to help my team build a clearer picture of what took place.

“Equally, if you have video footage or images of the violent aftermath to the party, we need to hear from you. We are also aware of reports circulating that Jordan was involved in ‘drill music’. We are exploring all lines of enquiry to piece together what led to him losing his life, but there is no evidence at this stage that this was a motive.”

Three other teenagers aged 15, 16 and 17 who were held at the scene on suspicion of murder have been released under investigation.

Detectives have appealed for witnesses to come forward, although assistant commissioner Martin Hewitt admitted that many of the partygoers are not willing to speak to the police.

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