So Sad: Third Child Dies After Mass Stabbing at Taylor Swift-Themed Dance Class

A third child has died following a stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in Southport, England, where eight other children were also injured.

via People:

On Tuesday, July 30, Merseyside Police confirmed in a news release obtained by PEOPLE that a 9-year-old girl had died in the early hours of the morning from injuries sustained in the knife attack, which took place at around 11:50 a.m. local time the previous day.

“We can confirm that the children who died yesterday were girls aged six and seven years,” police added of the other two victims.

“Eight other children suffered stab wounds sustained during the attack, and five of them are in a critical condition,” the release continued. “Two adults are also in a critical condition after being injured during the incident.”

“Our specialist Family Liaison Officers are providing support to the families at this terrible time,” the news release added.

Police confirmed officers had arrested a 17-year-old male from the village of Banks in Lancashire. “This incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it,” police said.

The incident took place at a property on Hart Street. The event was advertised for kids between the ages of 6 and 11 and had been scheduled to take place between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. local time.

Witness Colin Parry, owner of Masters Vehicle Body Repairs which is situated next to where the stabbing took place, told BBC 5Live of the incident, “We all ran out and there’s young kids, all bleeding.”

“It was the worst thing I’ve seen ever in my life,” Parry said, adding that many of the children had been taken into a nearby home. “Why? Why would you do these things to these kids? It’s horrific.”

Per the BBC, Parry also told the Press Association that mothers were “screaming,” comparing it to “a scene from a horror movie.”

Eye on Southport journalist Tim Johnson told the BBC that he arrived about 20 minutes after police were called.

Recalling how he saw a girl on a stretcher, he told the outlet, “Her parents were running after her. It was horrendous. I’ve never seen anything like it … I saw ambulance men and women in tears. People were in tears in the streets.”

Following the attack, Taylor Swift shared a message on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday.

The singer wrote, “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock… The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders.”

“These were just little kids at a dance class,” she added. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”

What kind of monster goes around stabbing children? Our prayers are with all the affected families.

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