Five teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after a 13-year-old boy died in a stabbing incident in the English town of Reading.
Four boys and one girl, aged between 13 and 14, are being held in police custody after officers were called to reports of a stabbing in the town just before 4 p.m. Sunday local time (11.00 a.m. ET), Thames Valley Police said in a statement.
The boy, who has not been identified, died of his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His family are aware and being supported by specially trained officers.
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“This is a tragic and shocking incident which has resulted in the death of a young boy,” Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Kevin Brown, head of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said in a statement Sunday.
Brown said officers were in the very early stages of the investigation but believed that the victim was attacked by two or three males, who fled after the incident.
He appealed for witnesses, saying the area was popular with dog walkers who may have seen something.