Three teenager have been arrested after a boy was stabbed to death in Collier Row.
It happened outside a birthday party at a community centre in Clockhouse Lane at around 9pm last night (Saturday, 23 June).
Hundreds of people tried to gatecrash the party leading to widespread violence and disorder.
Early reports suggested the victim was 14-years-old but police say he was 15 and his family have since been informed.
Detective Sergeant Gurj Singh said: “Response officers who attended the initial calls were confronted with up to 100 youths leaving a birthday party gathering at a Community Centre. There appeared to be fighting and tragically a teenager has been found with fatal injuries.
“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.”
A bus driver suffered a head injury during the violent scenes but did not require hospital treatment, police say.
A large cordon has been established and is expected to be in place for some time.
Police have also been granted a Section 60 order to increase the use of stop and search in Romford town centre.
Response Team Inspector Michael O’Donoghue from East Area said: “Officers have been out in force this evening providing reassurance to those in the community who have no doubt been shocked by this appalling attack on a teenager. We will continue to provide a high visibility presence and officers will be on hand to hear from those from the local community.
“A large crime scene will remain in place for some time and local high visibility patrols will be stepped up. A section 60 will also be in place encompassing the Romford ring-road until 5am on Sunday, 24 June.
“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends. Lots of young people were in attendance at this party and will be affected by what they saw. I would urge anyone with information about this attack, and more generally about those who routinely carries knives, to urgently pass that information to police or Crimestoppers anonymously.”
Any witnesses and those who have information are requested to call the incident room on 0208 345 3775.
You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online via https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously
You can also tweet police via @MetCC
