London stabbings: Three men murdered in 12 hours of violence

Death toll for 2019 nearing highest number of murders in a decade in capital

The scene in Knightsbridge, where a murder investigation has begun after a man was knifed to death near Harrods department store in a suspected robbery (Tom Pilgrim/PA Wire)

Three young men have been murdered in little over 12 hours in London, as the death toll for this year nears the decade high seen in 2018.

With three weeks left until the end of 2019, 134 people have so far been killed including the victims of the London Bridge terror attack.

Last year, police recorded 141 homicides in the capital – the highest since 2008.

The last spate of bloodshed started at 2pm on Thursday, when 22-year-old Exauce Ngimbi was stabbed to death in Lower Clapton.

Scotland Yard has arrested four people, including a 14-year-old boy, over the murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Considine said: “Exauce’s family are devastated but I want to assure them, and the wider public, that we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible for this murder face justice.”

Shortly after midnight, police were called to a reported stabbing near the luxury Harrods department store in Knightsbridge.

The 26-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while a man who was with him was also stabbed during an apparent robbery attempt.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge said the pair were on their way home from a restaurant when they were approached by two male suspects.

“We believe that the victims were approached in order to steal property from them and were attacked during that encounter,” he added.

Three hours later, police were called to reports of another stabbing in Deptford.

A 20-year-old man, named as drill rapper Crosslom Davis, was pronounced dead at the scene at 3.30am.

Mr Davis, known as “Bis”, was a member of the Kennington-based Harlem Spartans group.

In May this year, he appeared in court accused of involvement in a Brixton shooting, which was revenge for a previous gang-related killing.

England footballer Jadon Sancho, 19, led tributes online to the rapper amid an outpouring of messages from the drill music community.

The Borussia Dortmund winger tweeted the message “rest up bis“ with a picture of the victim.

The Metropolitan Police said the three murders were not linked.

Commander Jane Connors said: “Each one of these attacks is a tragedy, not just for the victims and their families and friends, but for our wider communities who are left reeling by this senseless violence.

“And the common factor in each one is that someone was willing to carry a knife on the streets of our capital.

“Our highly-experienced teams of detectives and investigators are working relentlessly to determine exactly what happened and bring those responsible to justice.”

Ms Connors said patrols were being increased in areas where the murders took place, and other parts of the capital, including armed officers and the Violent Crime Task Force.

“We can only tackle violence together and need the help of the public to identify those willing to carry knives or involved in these violent acts,” she added.

“We are grateful for those who already have had the courage to speak to us about those they know pose a danger to others.”

The spate of killings came days after Scotland Yard announced the creation of a new unit aiming to predict outbreaks of violence using social media.

Drill music videos are among the sources of intelligence used, as well as posts and coded “chatter” across Snapchat and Instagram.

Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent Mike West said shootings in London had fallen by 35 per cent in a year but stabbings were roughly level.