Woman stabbed in Birmingham bus stop attack dies
A scene guard remained in place throughout the weekend
- Published
A woman who was stabbed in the neck in an unprovoked attack at a bus stop in Birmingham has died, police have confirmed.
Katie Fox, 34, was targeted in Smallbrook Queensway, just outside the Bullring shopping centre, shortly before 21:00 GMT, on Friday.
Djeison Rafael, 21, appeared before Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Monday, charged over the attack.
He was previously accused of attempted murder but following Ms Fox's death the charge has been updated to murder.
The 21-year-old, of Rosedale Avenue, Smethwick, is also charged with two counts of causing actual bodily harm on 27 October and 7 November, possession of a Stanley blade and assaulting a detention escort officer.
Rafael, who appeared before District Judge John Bristow, was told to be quiet as he interrupted the six-minute hearing multiple times.
It happened just outside the Bullring shopping centre on Friday
The force said officers would be around the city centre on Monday to offer reassurance, and investigators were supporting the victim's family.
Detectives are appealing for witnesses who may have seen Mr Rafael, who is described as a Black British national, and is believed to have been wearing an all-grey tracksuit, black hat, trainers and rucksack.
The stabbing happened outside the Bullring shopping centre, opposite the main entrance to Birmingham New Street station.
Police said they were treating it as an "unprovoked attack" and Det Insp James Nix said they were working to understand why it happened.
Police said they believed the attack was "unprovoked"
Shalini Doal, who works nearby, told the BBC she saw the emergency response when she finished her shift at about 22:00 on Friday.
She described the scene has "quite chaotic" and said she and her colleagues were worried for their safety.
Ashley Birks, 25, from Stoke-on-Trent, said he came to Birmingham fairly regularly to see his girlfriend who lives in the city, and was concerned about what had happened.
"It makes me worried for my girlfriend," he said.
"She doesn't drive and works at all of the big music venues... and to think something completely unprovoked [happened], you know, it's horrible."