A grandmother and three family members were stabbed in a house attack in south London.
Dolet Hill, a former NHS employee, was named as one of four people found dead at the Southwark house after neighbors heard screams in the early hours of Monday morning. Police have arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
Officers broke into the house on Delaford Road, Bermondsey, around 1:40 a.m. Monday.
Three women in their sixties, forties and thirties and a man in his sixties were pronounced dead at the scene after being found on the property with suspected stab wounds.
Ms. Hill’s niece said the victims were believed to be her aunt and uncle and their daughter and granddaughter.
Dolet Hill was found stabbed to death with three family members in Southwark
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Venice Reed told The Independent that she visited the site of the stabbing to “see it with her own eyes” after trying to believe the news.
She said Mrs. Hill, her mother’s sister, worked as a housekeeper at Guy and St. Thomas Hospital and was a “very nice lady, very friendly” and a Christian who had recently had cancer.
“She’s looking at everyone,” Ms. Reed said. “It simply came to our notice then. She is a very beautiful lady. “
She added that the family was “really close” and initially moved to the United Kingdom from Jamaica.
Ms. Hill’s husband worked as a cleaner in London, his niece said, while their daughter lived with them and was a district nurse.
The couple had another daughter who worked for Southwark’s council and was one of those who “raised the alarm” with the police, Ms Reed said.
A man in his twenties has been arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to a police station in South London, where he remains in custody. According to police, he is believed to have known the victims.
Police and detectives, along with police tents, at the scene in Bermonds
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Photographs taken at the scene in Delaford Road, a short walk from Millwall Stadium, show that four sacks of corpses were loaded into a private ambulance on Monday afternoon as the police investigation continued.
Others showed four police tents set up in front of the house and a metal barrier blocking the street.
A 55-year-old neighbor, who did not want to be named, told The Independent that he was awakened by screams around 1 am.
“I fell asleep,” he said, “I heard a scream, so I opened the window and looked around, but I didn’t see anything, so I went back to bed, turned on the TV.
“As I dozed off again, I heard helicopters hovering over them, driving me crazy, so I got up and saw police cars and the police lighting up the area as if it were a carnival.
“I saw all the boys in suits and four ambulances and I knew it was serious.
A man has been detained by police
(Chiara Giordano / Independent)
Tony Birkett, 65, who lives nearby, said he woke up and found the street flooded with armed officers.
Speaking to The Independent on his doorstep, he added: “I was asleep and knew nothing until my daughter came into our room around 2.30am and said, ‘Do you know there are armed police down the street?’
“I looked out the window, this whole street was covered with armed police cars – there were about nine of them.
Mr Birkett said a police officer had told him “they will be here for a few days”.
“It’s a quiet area – you can hear a needle fall at night,” he added.
Police at the scene in Bermondsy
(Chiara Giordano / Independent)
Ann Birkett, 60, said the death was “devastating”.
“You hear all this, but you never assume it will be right on your doorstep,” she added.
“I am in foster care and I have children in my care and now I have to protect them because of what happened.”
A resident of the road next door, Bramkot Grove, said he was awakened at about 2 a.m. by police sirens and a helicopter and was held until 6 a.m. by the commotion.
“When I saw four ambulances – not one, not two, but four – I knew it was serious,” said the man, who did not want to be named.
Speaking to the media at the police cordon, Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrow, commander of the Metropolitan Police for Southwark, said: “I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of all concerned.
“This is a deeply shocking incident and we will do everything we can to provide support to all those affected at this difficult time.
He added that detectives were not looking for other suspects in connection with “these horrific events”.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder
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Harriet Harman, a Labor MP from Camberwell and Peckham, told The Independent: “Everyone is shocked and horrified; no one expects four people to be killed, let alone in a quiet and well-kept neighborhood.
“My condolences are to the family and friends affected by this devastating crime.
“The last time I was on the road and knocking on doors, I generally talked to the residents about how beautiful all the front gardens are and what a wonderful community it is, so it’s awful to go back there in such terrible circumstances.
“People still have to give information to the police, even though they have already arrested someone.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote on Twitter: “I am heartbroken that three women and a man were killed last night in a devastating incident at Southwark. My thoughts are with family and friends who have lost loved ones in this horrific crime.
“I am in contact with the leadership of the Sofia police.”
Post-mortem examinations will be organized in a timely manner.
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