Taylor Swift left in disbelief after shocking stabbing incident in the UK as authorities investigate motive
LONDON — Authorities probing the fatal assault at a children’s Taylor Swift-themed function in a coastal town of Southport, United Kingdom, revealed they were hunting for a motive, while the vocalist expressed her astonishment.
“The inquiry is in its preliminary stages and the reason behind the incident remains unclear,” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy stated on Monday.
Law enforcement responded just before noon on Monday to reports of a stabbing at a property on Hart Street in Southport, a coastal town about 20 miles north of Liverpool, according to Merseyside Police.
Two children were killed and nine others were injured in a stabbing attack at an event at a dance school in the seaside town, police said. Six of the wounded children were in critical condition, along with two adults, who were also stabbed, police said.
MORE: 2 kids dead, 11 people hurt in ‘ferocious’ stabbing attack at dance event in United Kingdom, 17-year-old arrested
“We believe that the adults who were injured were courageously attempting to shield the children who were under attack,” Kennedy stated on Monday.
Merseyside Police mentioned that the children were participating in a Taylor Swift-themed event at a dance school. A flyer for the two-hour event described it as a “Taylor Swift Yoga and Dance Workshop.” The event catered to children aged between 6 and 11 years old, according to a post on the organizer’s Instagram.
The “dreadful” nature of the assault was “continuously overwhelming me,” Swift shared in a post on Instagram. She expressed being “completely in shock.”
“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders,” she said. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to even convey my sympathies to these families.”
A 17-year-old boy from Banks, a coastal village in Lancashire, just outside Southport, was apprehended on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, police said.
The individual, whose name was not disclosed, was born in Cardiff, Wales, according to authorities.
The “full circumstances” were still being investigated, she said, adding that the attack wasn’t being investigated as a terror-related incident. Authorities were not pursuing additional suspects, they confirmed.