Police in the United Kingdom confirmed that a third young girl has died after a 17-year-old male went on a brutal stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the U.K.
Officers responded just before noon on Monday to reports of a stabbing at the Hart Space in Southport, a seaside town about 20 miles north of Liverpool. The local community center was holding a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop for children ages 6-11 when the incident occurred, according to Merseyside police. Two girls, 6-year-old Bebe King and 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, were killed, and nine other children were injured, police said. The Merseyside Police confirmed Tuesday that a third girl, 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, died on Tuesday morning in the hospital. Five other children and two adults remain in critical condition at local hospitals.
The 17-year-old male suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and murder, and a knife was seized after the attack, with BBC News reporting that the suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales and moved to the Southport area in 2013. Authorities are working to determine a motive in the rampage in Southport in northwest England.
In a message posted on social media Tuesday, Swift said she was “completely in shock” and still processing “the horror” of the attack, while expressing her sympathy at the loss of life: “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and the innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
As of Tuesday morning, a group of Taylor Swift fans had raised the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars to support the victims of the attack and their families. The fundraising page says the group is working with the regional Alder Hey Children’s Charity, “and raising funeral funds for the two young Swifties who have tragically passed.”
Police said the attack is not being treated as terror-related, and they are not looking for any other suspects. Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said (per the Associated Press): “We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,”
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the stabbing spree “horrendous and deeply shocking..my thoughts are with all those affected. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response. I am being kept updated as the situation develops.”
Prince William and his wife Catherine said that “as parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through.”
Editorial credit: Catrina Haze / Shutterstock.com