Lakeside Shopping Centre: Murder probe after man dies

Police said the man died following a "serious assault"

A murder investigation has begun after a man died at a shopping centre.

The victim was found with serious injuries at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock, Essex, at about 16:30 BST on Thursday but died at the scene.

Police said they believed he had been attacked by two men, described as being black or Asian.

Det Ch Insp Scott Egerton, said: "At this stage we believe this is a targeted attack and there's no risk to the wider public."

He added the shopping centre would have been busy at the time of the assault, "so I believe someone will have seen what happened".

One of the suspects was wearing blue ripped jeans, a white t-shirt, black trainers and a black puffer jacket, and carrying a small bag, police said.

The other was described as wearing a blue tracksuit and white trainers.

The attack happened in the shopping centre on Thursday afternoon

Howard Oldstein, director of Lakeside, said there had been "a very swift response" to the attack from staff, the ambulance service and police.

He said the centre and the food court were open, but an area remained cordoned off.

"Whilst we are mindful of what happened yesterday, we will continue to operate in the same way we have always done - being vigilant and making sure that the centre remains safe and secure," he added.

Howard Oldstein, the centre manager, said an area of Lakeside remained cordoned off