Father-of-three brutally stabbed to death in London's upmarket Kensington neighborhood
A 42-year-old man was stabbed seven times one of London's wealthiest streets and cried out for his family as lay dying on the footpath.
Before collapsing on a road famously known as "millionaire's row", he tried to walk 100 yards after being knifed.
Passers-by tried to give first aid to the victim by applying pressure on his wounds to try and restrict the bleeding as he gasped for breath, said witnesses.
However, on Wednesday night, the man tragically died at about 10.20 pm at the scene.
Yesterday, residents of Cathcart Road, Kensington, spoke to Daily Mail in a state of shock, not able to digest that even in such an exclusive postcode, a violent incident such as this could take place.
The street is lined with coveted houses that belong to stars and celebrities. Hugh Grant bought a house in the said neighborhood for a whopping $2.7 million back in 2000. But a number of multi-story terraced houses even sell for up to $7 million on the lavish street.
There are many other stars who have made the "millionaire's row" their home, including Casualty actress Mika Simmons and former Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard.
Yesterday Simmons tweeted, "A young black man has just been stabbed to death outside my flat on Cathcart Road, in Chelsea."
The victim was reportedly wearing a dark blue sweatshirt as neighbors rushed to aid the victim and engage him in conversation to keep him conscious.
The wounded man then revealed his name to them. He told them he was a father of three and he desperately wanted his family.
According to a university student who lives nearby, the victim, who is yet to be officially identified, was stabbed nearby before he stumbled on to Cathcart Road.
She told the Daily Mail, "I was walking along the road to get a bus and he walked around the corner from behind and there was blood dripping from him everywhere and he was saying “I’ve been stabbed”.
"I called 999 after he laid down on the floor. He was lying on his back in the road. Lots of people came from everywhere and were trying to help him, putting pressure on his wounds.
"While he was lying there we were talking to him to try and keep him conscious, and he was telling us his name and saying that he had a family, he was a father of three and that he wanted his family.
"We were trying to keep him conscious and awake but he died there after the ambulance came. You could see he wasn’t going to make it. There was blood everywhere."
Another resident who aided the man said: "He had been stabbed about seven times.
"We ran to him and he was on the floor and lots of us were helping him, trying to stop the bleeding. We were telling him to stay there and wait until the ambulance comes. He was saying his name and was talking about his family."
The assailant allegedly fled from the scene, leaving a black car in the middle of the road with its doors open with skid marks on the road. Investigators are appealing for witnesses for further information.
54-year-old Victor Gamble, who lives nearby, said, "This used to be a quiet road, but in recent years more and more young people are hanging out on the estate, smoking, and a lot of them are not local, they come from other places."
So far this year, there have been more than 70 suspected murders in London's latest knife crime epidemic.
London's murder rate had overtaken that of New York's, it was revealed in April.
A spokesman for the Metro Police said, "Police were called at 10.21 pm to reports of a stabbing on Cathcart Road. Despite the best efforts of the medical teams, he died at the scene shortly after 11.00 pm."
Mika Simmons, who has also starred in ITV's Unforgotten, claimed that the man had "refused to give some other youths some money."
The 42-year-old actress tweeted, "A young black man has just been stabbed to death outside my flat."
"I've been told he was working as a delivery driver and refused to give some other youths some money."
While 45-year-old Angus Hulme, another resident who spoke to the news outlet, said, "A woman was on the street when it happened.
"A girl who'd been looking after him as he lay there said that he's tried to get up but she told him to stay where he was and stay still.
"She tried to get him talking while waiting for an ambulance. That's when he said he had three kids."
The black SUV at the scene reportedly belonged to the victim as it had traces of blood inside it. As he tried to escape from the attack and get help, the gravely injured father left a trail of blood behind him.
The incident took place near the residence of model Liz Hurley, whose nephew Miles was recently stabbed in Wandsworth in March. She has since pushed for making the streets of London safer.
29-year-old Aji Ali, a local delivery driver, spoke to Daily Mail, "A police officer and a neighbor told me that this poor guy was stabbed and ran through a tall building and out of the other side.
"I don't know whether he was escaping or running for help. It's definitely really scary for me as I'm a delivery driver myself, particularly with all the stabbings going on in London now."
26-year-old Khaled Ahmed, who was also a witness when he came across the scene in his Audi RS7. Emergency services were arriving right behind him.
Ahmed, who is a business management undergraduate at Westminster University, said, "I saw him on the floor, I saw a dead body on the floor so I parked up."
"I was with my girlfriend and we were just driving past. First I saw blood on the floor and followed the blood all the way around a corner."
"I recorded it on my phone all the way to the scene and there was armed police, ambulance and I stood by. The blood was on the pavement - he must have been running on it."
"There was an Indian Deliveroo driver and a few neighbors there. I'm in front of the police and I could hear them speaking to police."
"They were saying how the folks got out of the car and chased him down the road and that's when the stabbing happened and he turned to the corner of the Cathcart Road and he stood still and then collapsed."
"There was one proper witness - a man in Army shorts, he was from the Army too. He said they barged the man into him and saw everything. The ambulance they operated - they opened his chest and put hands to the heart to pump it."
"Your body changes when you see something like that, especially when there's so much blood. I've never seen someone die."
He further informed that the abandoned car was a family-sized black car. He also claimed that he saw a man of south Asian appearance filming the scene with his cell phone that had blood on it and carrying a large carrier bag.
19-year-old Ellen Maatta, who also lives nearby and had walked past the scene, spoke to the news outlet.
She said, "We walked past a black SUV car at just after 10.30pm. The driver's door was left open and there was loads of blood on the driver's side inside. Someone else was looking inside at the same time and ran to get the emergency services."
Another witness spoke to the news outlet on condition of anonymity, "I was smoking out of my window nearby at about 10.30 pm last night when I saw a few people helping someone lying in the street. I knew something bad was going on."
"I went down and I saw a black man, aged 30 to 40, clean shaven with short hair, wearing dark jeans and drenched in blood on the road. He'd been stabbed in his chest and in the top of his leg. He was unconscious but still breathing."
"He was obviously in shock as his leg was kicking out. Two men and two women had put a tourniquet around his leg but there was loads of blood coming out. I asked how I could help. The guys told me to check for any further wounds."
"But there weren't any cuts in his clothing. I dialed 999 and was told the emergency services were already on their way. Within a matter of I don't know how many minutes they'd arrived."
"But by the time they got to us this man's eyes were rolling back. They tried to treat him in some way right there in the street. I couldn't sleep last night. I'm really shocked after seeing something like that."
Another neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Mail about the incident.
"Our whole front room was lighting up and we wondered what it was," she said. "He was just laid in the middle of the road on his back. He wasn't moving."
"The guy was just laid diagonally across the street. All the police were really quick, it was really good, they were all running down the street."
There were no arguments, she said, "It was just really quiet and I came out and everyone was already there. No one heard anything or saw anything."
In a conversation with law enforcement, 39-year-old Kerem Sozugecu said, "They told me that there was a trail of blood going up. The body was dragged up to here - I think so, he wasn't originally there."
Adrian Jae, 58, a chauffeur who lives near the murder scene, added, "There's an alleyway and a similar alleyway at the far end of the building. They both go around the back to gain access."
"Forensics were down there till 4 am. I saw two guys in white suits."
Another witness, Ferne Arfin, said that forensics were examining the black car which was "pulled over to the curb and the doors were open" at about 1 am. She added, "It was right outside my window, it was not a delivery car."
As of now, no arrests have been made and the crime scene has been cordoned off by the police. A full-fledged murder investigation has been launched by Scotland Yard.
While formal identification is yet to be conducted, the victim's relatives have been informed about his death. Law enforcement authorities were called in at 10.20 pm yesterday.
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said, "I was deeply saddened to learn of the fatal stabbing of a man in Kensington last night and my thoughts are with his friends and family."
"The police are doing everything in their power to bring those responsible to justice. If you carry a knife, be prepared to face the full force of the law. I remain in close contact with the Met Police and I am meeting the Deputy Commissioner later today."
"We must all work together to bring an end to senseless violent crime, which affects the whole country. I am continuing to do all I can to tackle this dreadful scourge, including investing millions in the Met's new Violent Crime Task Force."
"Last week I saw their work for myself, accompanying them on a raid which led to a number of arrests."
Any further information that can be helpful towards the investigation can be reported on 0208 358 0200.
One can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.