AN 87-YEAR-OLD man stabbed to death in a “shocking” and “unprovoked” attack has been named.
Thomas O’Halloran was riding a mobility scooter when he was the victim of a “shocking act of unprovoked violence”, Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson said.
Metropolitan Police was called at 4.06pm on Tuesday to Cayton Road, Greenford, London, to reports of a man with stab injuries.
He died at the scene.
Chief Superintendent Wilson gave an update from the crime scene on Wednesday, saying: “I understand that our community will quite rightly be shocked and appalled by this incident, as I am too.
“We are now able to name the man who has tragically lost his life as Mr Thomas O’Halloran who lived in Greenford and was a very well-known and much-loved member of our community.
“My thoughts very much remain with Mr O’Halloran’s family and friends today.
“I’d also like to appeal for their privacy to be respected while they come to terms with their loss.”
Frasley Coutinho, who lives in Greenford, west London, opposite where Mr O’Halloran was stabbed to death, said he saw the victim surrounded by a group of young boys.
He said: “I saw a couple of people gathering around him and then he drove past and stopped further up, and then there was a group of young boys around him.”
Mr Coutinho said he caught some of the incident on a CCTV camera but it was obscured by a plant.
“I had a rose plant blocking it so I couldn’t see any more,” he said.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “My officers are working to understand what has happened to this man, and we need the public’s assistance.
“I’m asking for anyone with dash cam or cycle helmet footage to contact us if they were using the Western Avenue A40 Eastbound in the proximity of Cayton Road and Welland Gardens between 15:15hrs and 16:15hrs.
"The elderly victim, who was riding a mobility scooter, was in the area at the time. If you saw the victim, or captured anyone acting suspiciously in the area, it is imperative that you make contact.”
Witnesses should call police on 101, referencing CAD 4691/16 Aug.
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