Teenager stabbed to death in front of horrified shoppers

As London’s Oxford Street bustled yesterday on the first day of the post-Christmas sales, a fight broke out in its Foot Locker store leading to the teenager’s death.

Hours later a second stabbing took place on the same street a few hundred yards away, leaving a man with leg wounds. It is not known if the incidents are linked.

Last night police said they recovered a number of weapons from the first crime scene and arrested 10 people.

A white tent was erected in the street a few yards from the entrance to the Foot Locker store.

The teenager was stabbed after a fight broke out between two groups of youths. Stunned shoppers looked on as the fight spilled out into the street. The 18-year-old victim was from south London.

Police would not comment on speculation that the row was over a pair of trainers.

They said the fight had broken out after the youths began “arguing” in the shop.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Dunne, the senior investigating officer from the Metropolitan Police’s Homicide Command, said: “There appears to have been two groups of young people opposing each other and involved in this incident.

“It would appear at this stage there was a weapon involved that may well have been a knife but I can’t confirm that yet.

“A number of weapons have been recovered from that scene, whether I have got the murder weapon I don’t know. There’s an assortment of items but no guns.

“A number of people have been arrested and they are all spread out over London at the moment.”

Mr Dunne said the incident took place “in close proximity to the entrance to the store, if not within” the store.

The area was very busy, which made it difficult to piece together what happened but there were more witnesses than usual and police were looking forward to speaking to them, added Mr Dunne.