Top cop: 'We need public's support in fight on knife crime'
A leading officer says police need the public's help in a bid to end the scourge of knife crime on the streets of the West Midlands.
The appeal came after Keelan Wilson, aged 15, was stabbed to death in the Merry Hill area of Wolverhampton on Tuesday night.
The young victim was named by his grandfather George Ellitts as a major police investigation got under way.
The teenager is the latest victim of knife crime in the Midlands as the public demand action in the wake of the stabbing.
Chief Superintendent Jayne Meir, West Midlands Police's neighbourhood policing commander for Wolverhampton, said someone in the community knew who had carried out the attack and urged them to come forward.
WATCH: Police appeal for support in fight against knife crime
Speaking at the scene, she also pleaded with parents to "have a conversation" with their children about carrying knives.
She said: "It's very tragic incident where the individual has been stabbed and we are actively seeking those responsible."
"It's absolutely devastating that our young people are carrying knives and the consequences of carrying those knives has ended in the loss of life.
"He was 15 years old, somebody knows who was responsible and they need to come forward."
She said the police were working on whether it was "a random attack" or there was a motive.
It comes amid a spike in knife crime across the West Midlands, with 16-year-old Ozell Pemberton fatally stabbed near a bus stop in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, on May 17.
Ms Meir said: "I appeal to members of the public who have got young people to sit down and have a conversation with them and tell them this is the consequence of carrying knives.
"We are seeing too many of these incidents, not only in the West Midlands, but across the country.
"It needs to stop.
"And we need your help to stop it."
She said the youngster's next of kin had been informed and that investigators were working "as swiftly as possible" to bring those responsible to justice.
Asked about the account of a taxi driver eyewitness who described a group of four or five armed attackers approaching the victim and his friend, Ms Meir said "a group" had been involved.
She added: "We do know this was a violent disorder involving more than one person."
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, added: "For anyone to have their life taken in this way is truly heartbreaking.
"For this to happen to someone so young is almost incomprehensible.
"The killing has devastated the victim's family, friends and the wider West Midlands.
"I have every confidence the police are working around the clock to catch those responsible and will bring them to justice.
"This attack is another stark reminder that we must not tolerate the violent crimes that are plaguing communities up and down the country.
"To help reverse the rise in violent crime I am investing an extra £2 million to tackle the causes.
"The initiatives include mentoring schemes to help young people make the right life choices, employing mediators to defuse gang violence and supporting individuals to escape the cycle of crime."
