A chilling video has emerged of the moment that Bristol teen Darrian Williams was stabbed to death by two 15-year-old boys. Darrian can be seen with friends on Rawnsley Park, Easton, when two people arrive on bikes.
In the next few seconds, three lives were destroyed. Darrian was stabbed to death and the two attackers committed murder, a crime that carries a mandatory life sentence. Both now 16, they were convicted today, Friday, November 1. They had denied the charge but were found guilty by a jury. They will be sentenced on December 5 when judge Mr Justice Saini will decide the minimum period they will spend behind bars before being eligible for parole.
In just eight seconds of extreme violence, between them they inflicted a fatal stab wound to Darrian’s back. CCTV footage from February 14 shows the two defendants riding bikes towards Rawnsley Park at about 5.40pm, leaving the area and returning 10 minutes later, armed with knives.
The court heard the fatal stabbing was gang-related – but police have said they have found no evidence to suggest Darrian was associated with any type of group. In the park, the two killers, wearing balaclavas, had approached Darrian, who was at a picnic bench, and shouted: “Is that Darrian? Are you 1-6?”
One boy was holding a single kitchen knife and the other is described as having a kitchen knife in each hand. After the fatal attack, one is said to have remarked “2s on top”. The court heard the defendants were asked why they had attacked 16-year-old Darrian, and referred to “2s” in reply.
The 1-6 gang, which is associated with the Fishponds, Hillfields and Oldbury Court areas, has a long-standing rivalry with the 2-4s or 2s gang, which is linked to the St Paul’s and St Jude’s districts. The court heard there was “background” to the offence, including an incident a few weeks earlier when Darrian was at a bus stop with a friend when he was approached by people in balaclavas asking him if he was a member of the 1-6 gang.
Michael Burrows KC, prosecuting, told the jury the defendants had gone past Darrian in the park before returning 10 minutes later to “confront him”.
He said: “They chose to return. They chose to approach the group. They were both armed with knives. They were asking whether he was 1-6. The prosecution say this was some kind of gang attack.”
One of the 16-year-old boys told the jury he had accepted causing the fatal wound, claiming he did so in self-defence. He said they had gone through the park to reach a nearby property to collect a debt before returning when Darrian had shouted “yo, yo” at them, which he took to mean they should go over to him.
“I dropped my bike. I went towards him. I said ‘wa gwan’. Darrian went back and kicked me in my chest area. I stumbled backwards. He kicked [the co-defendant] in the chest area. He fell to the ground.
“I moved around the bench. After he kicked [the co-defendant] I saw his hands around his waist. I was fearing that he was pulling out a knife. I heard something about a shank. A shank is a knife.
“I was quite scared. I had butterflies in my stomach. I pulled out my knife quickly and I stabbed at Darrian. I heard Darrian’s coat rip.”
Despite being fatally injured the teenager managed to run away from his attackers and flag down a passing van driver for help. The emergency services were alerted but Darrian could not be saved. A pathologist concluded that the cause of his death was a single stab wound to his back.
One of the killers said he had carried a knife since an incident in a McDonalds’ branch in Bristol in which a youth had been seen with a machete, six days before the attack on Darrian.
Trial judge Mr Justice Saini adjourned sentencing until December 5 for the preparation of pre-sentence reports and remanded the teenagers in custody.
Addressing them, he said: “You have heard the verdict of the jury and you have both been found guilty of murder. Under the law I have to pass a life sentence upon you. I have to decide the minimum term before you can apply for parole.”
Addressing Darrian’s family, the judge added: “There are no winners at the end of this case. I know it is an unimaginable loss.”
Both defendants had denied murder. One admitted a charge of possessing a knife in a public place and the other denied that charge but was found guilty by the jury. The other 16-year-old boy’s case was that did not have a knife and did not intend to cause Darrian really serious injury.