BBC Radio WM

An eyewitness has described seeing a man in a hoodie close to the scene of a fatal stabbing in Birmingham last night.

David Nash is the director of operations at the Village Inn, in Hurst Street. He was running the bar last night.

"The first we knew about it was sometime between two and two fifteen this morning when a guy – we presume it’s a guy – with a black hoodie was walking down Hurst Street away from the Hippodrome towards Sherlock Street, the lower end of Hurst Street – and somebody shouted 'stop him he's just stabbed somebody'.

Image source, PA Media

He told BBC Radio WM: "And then of course this person took off into the night down Hurst Street and then of course you can't quite work out what had gone on."

He said the bars had been starting to wind down and then the area had been "engulfed" with emergency service vehicles.

Image source, PA Media

Following the media briefing, we have some more details. Here is what we know:

• One man has died, seven others are injured, two critically
• Constitution Hill was where the first stabbing happened at 00:30 BST
• The suspect moved south, apparently attacking at random
• Police do not think the stabbings are terrorism-related or gang-related
• One single suspect, a man, is being sought - no arrests have been made
• A knife has been pictured lying on a pavement after being recovered from a drain
• Prime Minister Boris Johnson has thanked the emergency services

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has thanked the emergency services "who are working hard" after the stabbings overnight.

He tweeted: "All my thoughts are with those affected by the terrible incident."

A knife has been pictured lying on a pavement after being recovered from a drain following the stabbings.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

The Press Association is reporting the knife with a serrated blade was found in Edmund Street and was quickly removed by police officers.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

"A short distance away was what appeared to be a trail of blood spots at the pavement in Newhall Street, leading down to Edmund Street," the agency added.

The MP for the constituency in which the fatal stabbing took place says it is of "real concern" the suspect is still at large.

Speaking to the BBC News Channel, Shabana Mahmood, Labour member for Birmingham Ladywood, said: "It's of concern to me... and I know it will be worrying everybody else in the city as well.

"I know that they [the police] have drafted in additional police officers.

"I know that there are officers - both armed and unarmed - across the city centre.

"I am confident that the policing presence and the fact that the investigation is moving at pace means that we very much hope that the suspect is caught before long."

The police describe how events unfolded in a series of stabbings which left one man dead.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said "all her thoughts" were with people affected by the stabbings.

Image source, PA Media

In a statement on Twitter, external, she said: "All my thoughts are with those affected by the shocking incident in Birmingham last night.

"Our emergency services are working hard to find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice."

"Significant resources" are being used to track the suspect, Ch Supt Steve Graham said.

He told reporters: "There was no suggestion that people have seen him running out of the area, searches were being made at the time, and so inquiries and searches were made, but unfortunately the suspect wasn't caught and still hasn't been."

He added: "Already we've got people going down drains, we've got that level of detailed searches taking place which will hopefully reassure the people that we are doing everything we can do to trace the offender."

Image source, Reuters

Ch Supt Graham added a number of descriptions had come in of the suspect but police were not releasing anything at this time, asking the public to come forward with any information or footage they had.

He later said there was no known connection between the victims in the four linked incidents and extra officers had been sent out in Birmingham.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Jamieson said police would be working with Birmingham City Council to see if there were "any further measures that need to be taken in the city centre", following the violent incidents.

A rise in violence was "almost inevitable" due to the pandemic, the Labour PCC added.

He told reporters: "I have been saying for some time, in the context of Covid-19, that a lot of the pent-up feelings people have, and not being able to get out, and combine that with people who are now unsure about their future and about their jobs; it was almost inevitable that we would see a growth in violence.

"I'm not saying that this is directly related to that, but nevertheless we are seeing now a growth of violence among younger people, particularly younger males, we're seeing that growing across the region.

"My fear is that if we don't address that and some of the underlying problems with some urgency, then we could see that grow."

An ambulance chief has paid tribute to his staff for helping the victims of last night's stabbings.

Nathan Hudson, West Midlands Ambulance Service's Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, said: "This was clearly a very serious situation with a large number of patients, some with very serious injuries.

"My thoughts are with the families of those hurt, particularly of the man who tragically lost his life.

"I must pay tribute to the ambulance staff who worked so hard at the scene and en-route to hospital, to help each of the patients hurt."

He said staff trained for incidents such as this on a regular basis and they had been able to get to the scene "very rapidly".

The victims of the stabbings "appear to have been chosen at random", Ch Supt Steve Graham said.

He added there was "absolutely no suggestion at all" the series of stabbings was related to terrorism.

Ch Supt Graham added the stabbings appeared to be a random attack and there was no evidence the incident was motivated by hate towards any particular group, nor gang-related.

Image source, Reuters

"Clearly those of you who know Birmingham city centre know that Hurst Street is part of the gay community's night-time economy, but there's absolutely no suggestion at this point that this was in any way, shape or form motivated by hate."

Asked whether the incident was gang related, he said: "At this stage we can't find a particular motive, but it does appear to be random in terms of the selection of the people who were attacked."

He also said there was no evidence to show it was related to "people squabbling over tables" in the city centre.

There is "extensive" CCTV footage of last night's violence to trawl through, police have said.

Image source, Reuters

The West Midlands force is appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward with information.

"If you have video footage or social media photographs please inform the police," said Ch Supt Steve Graham.

A "significant armed and unarmed police presence" will remain in the city today, he added.

"Don’t be afraid but be alert if you are in Birmingham today.

"We are not saying Birmingham is unsafe, but do not approach anyone you [are] uneasy about."

West Midlands Ambulance Service treated seven patients overnight.

Crews were first called to the junction of Colmore Row and Livery Street, in Birmingham, at 00:40 BST and calls about incidents in Irving Street at 01:52 and Hurst Street at 02:00 were later made.

Image source, Reuters

A statement from the service said:

• Five patients were taken to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. Three had suffered critical injuries and a man died shortly after arrival
• Two other patients with non life-threatening injuries were taken to the city's Heartlands Hospital
• An eighth patient with minor injuries did not need treatment from paramedics

The one person being sought in connection with the incidents is male, Ch Supt Steve Graham has told the press conference.

Police have confirmed no arrests have yet been made in relation to the stabbings.

At the moment, police cannot find a motivation for the attacks, but Ch Supt Steve Graham said there was "no suggestion" it was a hate crime.

Part of the crime scene is around Birmingham's Gay Village area.

Two people remain in hospital with critical injuries after the stabbings, police say.

Ch Supt Steve Graham said five other people had been treated for "relatively minor" injuries and some had been released from hospital.

The violence started in Constitution Hill to the north of the city centre.

"Shortly after, a number of other incidents were reported in Livery Street, and then coming down to the city centre to Irving Street," he told the press conference.

Ch Supt Steve Graham, of West Midlands Police, tells a press conference the force is searching for one suspect in relation to the stabbings overnight.

The stabbings in Birmingham city centre, in which one man has died and seven others were injured, took place between 00:30 and 02:20 BST, police said.

They are all thought to be linked, West Midlands Police believes.

"We continue to hold a number of scenes across the city, including Livery Street, Irving Street and Hurst Street," the force added in a statement.

A man and a woman suffered serious injuries in the stabbing incidents overnight.

Five others have also been hurt, although their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, the West Midlands force said.