Two teenagers have been arrested after a 13-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Oldbury.
West Midlands Police said the two boys were being held in connection with the stabbing on Lovett Avenue on Thursday, and are being questioned while in custody. The stabbing is thought to have occurred at the victim’s home at roughly 4pm.
Police opened a murder investigation into the incident on Friday and the boy’s parents have been informed of the arrest by West Midlands Police.
Chief Superintendent Kim Madill said: “We have a team of detectives investigating exactly what happened, and we are following active lines of inquiry to find the suspects.”
She added: “We know that the incident took place inside his home, and I would appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.”
Residents have been leaving flowers, as well as a teddy bear in Lovett Avenue as a tribute to the unnamed victim since the news was announced.
Gurinder Singh Josan, MP for Smethwick, said in an official statement: “I have been shocked to hear of the tragic stabbing of a young 13-year-old boy at a house in Lovett Road, Lion Farm, Oldbury yesterday evening resulting in his death.”
He added: “This is a tragic waste of a young life and my thoughts, prayers and condolences are with the family and friends of the young boy.”
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the West Midlands has the highest rate of knife crime in the UK.
There were 5,268 offences in the region between April 2023 and March 2024, a rate of 178 per 100,000 of the population.
Mohammed Zafran, chair of West Midlands Crimestoppers, said: “We need parents to lay the foundations and more community leaders to come out in the open and put it to the authorities to ensure we have more youth hubs which can stop these youths from loitering on the streets.”
