Tragedy at a London Ice Rink
From BBC News:
Detectives have appealed to hundreds of young people who were at a crowded ice rink when a teenager was shot dead to get in contact with them.
James Andre Smarrt-Ford, 16, was shot twice on Saturday night at Streatham Ice Arena in south-west London.
Police said the shooting took place near to the venue entrance, but James managed to stagger onto the ice. He was taken to hospital but pronounced dead.
Six male youths and an 18-year-old man have been arrested.
Shots fired
Eyewitness John Fitzmaurice, of the Streatham Ice Hockey Club, said a large number of young people entered the rink shortly before the shooting.
"Some young people obtained entrance to the rink then... a fairly large number of people came into the rink illegally through side entrances and proceeded to cause a disturbance.
"I gather some robbery took place then there was an affray and it resulted in a young male being shot."
Police said James was approached at about 2300 GMT by a gunman who fired two or three shots.
"Despite being fatally injured, James managed to stagger a few metres onto the ice, before collapsing," said Det Supt Gary Richardson, of the Metropolitan Police.
Mr Richardson said about 300 young people in their late teens and early 20s were at the rink when the shooting took place.
He appealed for everyone who was at the ice rink disco to contact Operation Trident, the Scotland Yard unit that specialises in investigating black gun crime.
Mr Richardson said the disco was dark at the time of the shooting and security staff patrolled the area with torches.
Website tributes
He said the victim's family were "devastated".
"We are still trying to build up a picture of how James came to be here," he added.
"Did the gunman target a gang of individuals, him on his own or indeed was it that he was not the intended target?"
Tributes to James have been left on the website gonetoosoon.co.uk including one from a "best mate" of Jessie James who was shot dead as he cycled through a Manchester park.
It read: "I feel for your family and can imagine what they must be feeling. I pray they catch your killer. We must put an end to guns, life is too precious."
Josef from London wrote: "He was the best friend and person I knew, always willing to help others and a inspiration for me. God bless you my friend."
This is such a tragedy. For the child in question, James Andre Smarrt-Ford and his last moments lived in terror; for his loved ones who must be so devastated and bewildered; for the people who had to witness this at the ice rink; for the people who live in the area and hear about these occurrences so frequently; for the parents who encourage and allow their children to go skating on a Saturday night, in the belief that it is a safe place for them to be; for the skaters that use the rink regularly and their thoughts as they step back onto the ice.
I can't even say that it is only rinks in rough areas. Streatham is, I believe, a fairly rough part of London. However, even my rink at Alexandra Palace, in a relatively highbrow part of London near Muswell Hill, is becoming risky too. Only last month, we were told that skaters were being targeted on leaving the rink and being mugged for mobiles / ipods etc. Comforting when you rely on public transport and have to wait for a bus to take you home. And to regular skaters, rinks become alien places on a Friday and Saturday night.
I hope that the people who witnessed this atrocity are looked after. I witnessed a fatal stabbing at Euston underground about five years ago, and it is a traumatising experience, watching someone's life literally drain out of them. I have to say that the police were fantastic, coming round to my home that evening to take a statement, offering me counselling and talking me through all the possible procedures, if I had to testify at Crown Court etc.
But most of all, my thoughts are with James and his family. I cannot comprehend what it must be like to experience death of a loved one in such a brutal fashion.
God Bless You, James. May your spirit be in peace and your loved ones comforted in this time of sorrow.
4 comments:
Isn't this horrible? It's the last thing you would expect to happen during an ice disco, at least where I skate. We get a very mixed crowd on public sessions, but I've never seen anything worse than a bit of play-wrestling in the way of violence.
I don't know which is sadder, this young man's death or the fact that some people feel that carrying a gun is necessary or desirable.
It is horrible. I have to admit, that I wouldn't go up to Ally Pally on a weekend for the "disco". I find it gets chaotic enough during the day on a public session.
I think the saddest thing is that BECAUSE "youths" think it is cool to carry guns / knives etc. that we are getting these needless deaths. Hot headedness seems to be prevalent in these young "gangs" and retaliation when they hold these weapons is all the more dangerous.
Amanda - I had not heard anything about this incident on TV over the weekend and was shocked to read your blog. I have always felt the ice rink was a safe place for my children to go. Unfortunately gun culture along with knife culture, especially among the young, appears to be on the increase. Frightening and tragic.
I guess ice rinks are about as safe as anywhere now. I still believe (and hope!) that they are safe for children (and adults) during the day and weekday evenings.
On weekends, I guess that ice rinks are subject to the same people as anywhere else is on a Saturday night. As well as crime, drink and drugs are also becoming more obvious in the young.
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