Man killed in Hackney stabbing named by police

A young man who died after being stabbed in east London has been named by police.

Jason Junior Romeo died after an altercation in Bodney Road, Hackney, at around 6pm on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police said.

Mr Romeo, 20, was treated by the London Ambulance Service, but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said on Wednesday: “It is absolutely devastating for Jason’s family and extremely distressing for our communities that another young life has been taken away as a consequence of knife crime.

“We continue to work closely with our local community partners and Hackney Council to tackle the causes and effects of knife crime.”

Two men aged 23 and 25 were arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday.

They currently remain in custody, police said.

The incident led to increased police presence in the area, Mr Conway added.

He said: “I will have additional uniformed and plain clothed officers working in the area as a consequence of this tragic event.

“While the investigation continues to work to understand the motive for this attack, we will work tirelessly to reduce the risk of any further violence.

He added: “I repeat an appeal I have sadly had to make too frequently.

“If any young person feels they need to carry a knife please speak to a parent, carer, teacher, youth leader or adult you trust and we can get you the support to step back from that decision safely.”

A Hackney resident who said he had known Mr Romeo for years previously described him as a “good guy” who “was not a trouble-maker”.

A woman who said she was a family friend told the PA news agency earlier on Wednesday: “What did he do to be dead? He’s like a family friend to me. To me and my son. My son is at home. I can not even tell him that this boy is dead.”

Mr Romeo’s death is the fifth fatal stabbing in London so far this year.

Four of the five victims have been adult males, and the other was 14-year-old boy Kelyan Bokassa, who was stabbed around 27 times as he travelled home on a route 472 bus in Woolwich, south-east London, on January 7.

It comes as the Home Office announced a raft of anti-knife crime plans on Wednesday, including making retailers report bulk or suspicious sales to police, and increasing the jail sentence for selling weapons to children, or illegal blades such as zombie knives, to two years.

The proposals will be known as Ronan’s Law after Ronan Kanda, who was murdered in a case of mistaken identity by two boys who were able to buy knives without identity checks.