The mother of a 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a bus has said he was groomed by gangs after running away from care and living on the streets.
Aspiring rapper Kelyan Bokassa was fatally injured on a route 472 bus in Woolwich Church Street, close to the Woolwich Ferry, just before 2.30pm on Tuesday, in what police called a “horrendous” crime.
His mother Mary Bokassa told MailOnline: “My son and others were taken advantage by gangs. They were groomed.
She went on: “He was missing for a year and was living on the street. He finally turned up at my doorstep, he was sick, underweight and tattooed … He was exposed to drugs. He probably experienced something because I could sense it.
“He was not himself. If I questioned him he wouldn’t tell me anything about his friends.”
Ms Bokassa said her son was kind and caring and liked football, adding: “I can’t believe he is gone. I cannot believe it.”
Tributes were paid to Kelyan online, with a number of messages featuring pictures of doves posted below a rap video on Instagram.
The clip, posted under the name Grippa, showed a masked figure wearing black and holding a microphone as he performs for the camera in an underground car park.
Police at the scene in Woolwich on Tuesday evening (Ben Bauer/PA)
He was “briefly” a pupil at St Columba’s Catholic Boys School in Bexleyheath, south-east London, in 2022.
The South East London Catholic Academy Trust released a statement saying: “We are saddened by the loss of life in Woolwich yesterday of a young boy who was briefly a pupil of St Columba’s in 2022.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
“Our schools will provide support to any of the students who may be affected by this senseless violence.”
The 14-year-old’s murder sparked a flurry of online commentary, including references to another teenager who met a violent death in the same area of London in September last year.
Daejaun Campbell, 15, was stabbed to death in Eglinton Road, Woolwich, on September 22 last year, less than a mile and a half away from where Kelyan was killed.
The Metropolitan Police said that no links have been established between the two and their investigation is at an early stage.
There was also a non-fatal stabbing at around 4.20pm on Monday in Prince Imperial Road, Woolwich, which led to an 18-year-old man being admitted to hospital. It is not thought to be linked to Tuesday’s murder.
Some 10 teenagers were killed in London last year, nine of whom were the victims of stabbing while one died in a shooting, according to data compiled by the PA news agency.
(PA Graphics)
This was down sharply from 21 teenage deaths in the capital in 2023.
The youngest victim in 2024 was 14.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commander Louise Sargent described the attack as a “horrendous crime”, and said it is a “worrying time” for local residents.
She told reporters at the scene: “I’m very sad to say that, this afternoon, a 14-year-old boy has died.
“The initial alert was raised by a local officer out on patrol.
“Paramedics treated a 14-year-old boy at the scene who had received stab wounds but, really sadly, he died shortly after medics arrived.
“Our thoughts at this time are with the victim’s family and friends.
“This is a horrendous crime and I can’t imagine what they must be going through right now.
“We are working at pace to identify and arrest those involved.
“I know this will be a worrying time for everyone here in Woolwich, and all the more so given the very young age of the victim.”