‘I’m 15, don’t let me die’ - dying teenager begs to be saved after being stabbed in Woolwich

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A teenage boy who was stabbed to death begged “I’m 15, don’t let me die” as he lay bleeding, an eyewitness who tried to save him has revealed.

Police were called to reports of a disturbance in Eglinton Road, Woolwich, at around 6.30pm on Sunday. At the scene, officers discovered a boy with a stab injury who died a short time later.

On Monday, a 43-year-old woman, who lives nearby, described how she found the teenager wounded and bleeding heavily in the street.

The witness, who does not wished to be named and has lived in the area for 14 years, said that she was in her bedroom when a person across the road screamed “someone’s been stabbed, someone’s been stabbed”.

She said that she grabbed a sheet and ran outside without shoes and socks, finding the boy face down on the floor.

The boy had a gash on his head and a “massive pool of blood” by his leg, the witness said.

She said that she stemmed the flow of blood until paramedics arrived.

The witness went on: “I asked if I could go and shower because I was covered in his blood, and they said ‘yes’ so I went in and showered.

“I come back out and they (the police) called me over because I was the last one with him – he was going to me ‘I’m 15, I’m 15, don’t let me die’ and I said to him ‘you’re not going to die, mate’.”

Asked if she knew the victim well, she added: “No, I didn’t, but I always said hello and that, and he was always polite or moved out of the way when you were walking.”

She was later seen sobbing and hugging a neighbour. “He could have been my son,” she said,

Another resident told The Independent she also saw the teenager lying in the road after being attacked.

She said: “There was a huge commotion. Everyone on the street was outside and saw it. It was absolutely tragic. This sort of thing happens a lot in Woolwich. But you don’t expect it on your front door.”

A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan said: “The mayor’s thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenage boy who has been killed in Woolwich, as well as the wider community.

“This heart-breaking violence has no place in our streets.

“The mayor is in close contact with police leaders and there will be increased patrols in the local area.”

The boy’s next of kin have been informed.

No arrests have been made and a crime scene is in place.

Over the course of 2024, nine other teenagers have been stabbed to death in London, with the government announcing new laws to ban machetes and knives over eight inches, in a bid to crack down on cases.

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting reference CAD 5989/22Sep.