Dance class in Southport: A third girl has died in one of the worst attacks on children

CNN
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The UK has been shocked after three children were stabbed to death and eight others injured in a knife attack in Southport, one of the worst attacks on children in the country in decades.

The attack took place during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school in the coastal town in northwest England and sparked disbelief as to why someone would attack children having fun during the summer holidays.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the “whole country” was deeply shocked by the “truly horrific” attack, while King Charles III said he was “deeply shocked” by the “absolutely appalling incident”.

Here’s what we know about the attack.

Police said Monday that two girls, ages 6 and 7, were killed and six of the nine injured were in critical condition. A day later, police said another child, a 9-year-old girl, died early Tuesday morning from her injuries.

Two adults were also seriously injured, police said. They suffered their injuries because they “bravely tried to protect the children who were being attacked.”

Merseyside Police said the attack took place at a Taylor Swift event at a dance school in Southport on Monday morning. A 911 call was received just before midday, police said. Emergency services, including 13 ambulances and other specialist crews, were dispatched to the scene and a “major incident” was declared.

Police said a 17-year-old minor was arrested at the scene on “suspicion of murder and attempted murder.” He was taken to the police station and questioned on Tuesday morning, police said.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said the suspect was from Banks in Lancashire and was originally from Cardiff in Wales.

She said the suspect was armed with a knife when he entered the school in Southport, but gave no further details about his identity or apparent motive, saying only that the attack was not considered terrorist-related.

Monday’s incident is the worst knife attack on children in Britain for decades – and perhaps even since the beginning of history. While knife crime has increased nationwide over the past decade – with a slight decline during the pandemic years – knife attacks involving weapons of mass destruction are extremely rare.

The number of knife crimes in England rose from 27,667 in the year to April 2014 to 48,341 in the year to April 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics. More than a quarter of the incidents occurred in London.

But other types of attacks have also targeted children in the UK. Several children, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed in a terrorist attack on pop singer Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester in May 2017.

And in 1996, 16 children aged between five and six were murdered in a school shooting in the Scottish town of Dunblane. The massacre shocked the country and led to a ban on the private ownership of handguns on the British mainland.

Many in the area and across the country were in disbelief when they heard what had happened. Southport is a small seaside resort and a popular destination for families in the summer.

Local business owner Colin Parry was one of those who called police. According to PA Media, he said the incident in Southport was like a “scene from a horror film”.

“It’s like something from America, not like sunny Southport,” said Parry.

Taylor Swift, whose music was the theme of the dance class that was the target of the attack, said on Tuesday that she was “completely in shock.”

“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport keeps coming back to me and I am simply in shock. The loss of life and innocence and the horrific trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and the first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I don’t even know how I can ever express my condolences to these families,” Swift wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.