Murder suspect, 15, arrested as Coventry stab victim named as Babacar Diagne, also 15 - The Coventry Observer

Murder suspect, 15, arrested as Coventry stab victim named as Babacar Diagne, also 15

Coventry Editorial 7th Feb, 2020 Updated: 7th Feb, 2020   0

THE 15-year-old found stabbed to death in Coventry on Wednesday has been named – and another teenager arrested on suspicion of murder.

The victim is Babacar Diagne. He was living in Coventry at the time and was previously living in Sutton Coldfield.

Babacar was found collapsed on grassland off Petitor Crescent, Wood End, at around 7pm on Wednesday having been stabbed.

He was pronounced dead at the scene after ambulance staff had battled to save him.




A post mortem examination yesterday revealed he had been stabbed multiple times.

Police last night arrested another 15-year-old from Coventry on suspicion of murder.


The boy was detained from an address in the Canley area of the city along with five other people who have been detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

All six remain in police custody this morning.

West Midlands Police said: “It is understood Babacar was attacked by three black males who arrived at the murder scene on pedal cycles. The reason behind the attack is not clear but homicide detectives are working on a number of possible motives.

“They have already completed local enquiries and spoken to several witnesses. CCTV has been seized for examination and work continues to sift through the many hours of footage in the hope the killers will have been caught on camera.”

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Griffiths from the Homicide Unit is leading the investigation. He said: “We have a team of officers working solely on this enquiry. There is lots of work going on behind the scenes to understand exactly what happened and who is responsible.

“We have arrested one boy on suspicion of murder but we believe two others were directly involved in the attack that resulted in Babacar’s death.

“Five other people have been arrested because we believe they were harbouring the suspect and trying to help him avoid capture.

“Let me be really clear. Anyone found to be hindering our investigation by helping murder suspects lie low will be arrested and potentially be jailed.

“We are determined to get justice for Babacar and his family, as I’m sure the communities of Coventry are too. We are looking for offenders who have stabbed a boy to death. These are very dangerous individuals and we need them off the streets.

“I would urge anyone who suspects they know who’s involved, or if anyone has overheard a conversation about the stabbing or saw anything suspicious near Petitor Crescent on Wednesday night, to please get in touch.

“The people responsible do not deserve protection. They have killed a child and we all collectively need to make a stand to show this is not acceptable.”

If anyone was driving through the Petitor Crescent area between 6-8pm on Wednesday and has dash-cam footage, the police want them to get in touch on 101 or message us on Live Chat via the website.

Or information can be passed anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Callers won’t be asked for their names and calls cannot be traced.

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