British police are investigating the murder of a fourteen-year-old who was fatally stabbed on a bus in London. – I feel pain because I tried to prevent it. I tried in many ways, so many times… I screamed, I said that my son would be killed, the boy's mother told the BBC.
Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed on a bus in south-east London on Tuesday, the BBC reported. Paramedics provided aid to the 14-year-old, but the boy died shortly after their arrival. Authorities are looking for the perpetrator or perpetrators, but no arrests have been made as of Thursday.
Mother: I tried to prevent it
The murdered teenager's mother, Mary Bokassa, described him as “very caring and kind” in an interview with the BBC. At the same time, she noticed that her son had been exploited by gangs since the age of six and had a drug problem himself. Bokassa told the British public broadcaster that she asked for help and tried to stop her son from contacting criminal groups, but received no support from the authorities. Kelyan, she said, “still had one foot on the street.”
The mother of the murdered boy admitted that she “was shocked and shocked by his death, but not surprised,” writes the BBC. – I feel pain because I tried to prevent it. I tried in many ways, so many times… I screamed, I said that my son would be killed, Bokassa said.
14-year-old 'worked extremely hard'
BBC journalists also spoke to Jon Kelly, the director of the facility in Eltham that Kelyan attended. “This (murder) happened at a time when he was working extremely hard at school to build on the success he had already achieved since joining us,” Kelly said.
Father Jesse van der Valk of the parish where the vigil was held after the boy's death said he wanted to provide a space for “quiet prayer and reflection.” – We want young people to know that the community cares about them – he emphasized in an interview with the BBC.
Main photo source: Sampajano_Anizza/Shutterstock