Councillors have spoken of their outrage after a 19-year-old man was stabbed to death in Fallowfield in the early hours of Wednesday morning (October 26). Police were flagged down on busy Wilmslow Road after the incident, with the victim being given CPR at the scene.
Following the fatal attack, which the M.E.N. understands occurred as the man was walking home from a party, local leaders spoke of their horror at the stabbing, as they repeated their calls for the 'awful and unnecessary death' of young people to be stopped in the city.
Greater Manchester Police say they have now launched a murder investigation after the young man was 'robbed' of his life, with more officers expected to be patrolling the area and reassuring the student community over the coming days.
Following the tragedy, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, Coun Luthfur Rahman, said: "It's with great sadness that we hear of the incident in Fallowfield that has taken the life of a young man. We know that this sort of incident is very worrying for people living and working in the area, but we should all be reassured that this is being treated as an isolated incident and GMP have confirmed that they will increase officers on the streets over the coming days.
"The Council is actively supporting the police investigation and we would urge anyone with information to get in touch with GMP. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time."
And local councillor Jade Doswell, Manchester Council member for Fallowfield, shared the grief felt by those in her ward. She told the M.E.N she is working with charities to raise knife crime awareness, and said: "This news is absolutely heartbreaking, and my sincere thoughts are with the victim's family, I can't imagine what they are going through.
"I'm absolutely devastated that another young life has been taken on the streets of Fallowfield. It has absolutely got to stop.
"Alongside the work I'm doing with Fallowfield-based Charity Merosworld, around preventative youth work, bleed cabinet distribution and education on knife crime awareness, we will be speaking to GMP and the Community Safety Team once we have more information on this incident, about what action we should be taking to get knives off the streets of Fallowfield and stop the awful and unnecessary death of young people here."
And Ali-Raza Ilyas, a fellow local councillor publicly extended thoughts to the victim's family on Twitter on Wednesday, writing: "Really sad, and tragic news this morning. A police investigation is still underway - but yet again, it appears to be another senseless stabbing. My thoughts are with the family today."
Detective Superintendent Neil Jones, of Greater Manchester Police South Manchester Division, added: "This was a terrible crime which has robbed a young man of his life and my thoughts are with his family at this devastating time. I understand it will cause distress and concern to many in Fallowfield and across Manchester more widely, including our large student community."
"The investigation is in its early stages, but I can assure you that our officers are working round the clock and carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident. We are actively pursuing leads and will relentlessly pursue the offender to ensure they are brought to justice."
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