2020 Reading stabbings
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
| 2020 Reading stabbing | |
|---|---|
 Forbury Gardens in 2008 | |
  Forbury Gardens 2020 Reading stabbings (Reading Central)  2020 Reading stabbings (Berkshire)  2020 Reading stabbings (the United Kingdom) | |
| Location | Forbury Gardens, Reading, United Kingdom |
| Date | 20 June 2020 ~19:00 BST (UTC+1) |
Attack type | Mass stabbing |
| Deaths | 3+ (unconfirmed) |
| Injured | 2+ (unconfirmed) |
| Accused | Unidentified |
On 20 June 2020, a mass stabbing occurred in Forbury Gardens, Reading, United Kingdom.
Incident
At around 19:00 BST on 20 June 2020, a stabbing occurred in Forbury Gardens, a public park in the centre of Reading, England. The stabbing occurred several hours after the end of a Black Lives Matter protest in Forbury Gardens; the event reportedly concluded peacefully, and Thames Valley Police confirmed in a statement that there was "no indication" the incident was linked to the protest.[1][2] At least three fatalities and two serious injuries have been reported, but not officially confirmed.[3] Thames Valley Police confirmed a number of people had been hospitalised, and that an arrest had been made.[3][2] A witness said the stabbing was "completely random", describing a lone person who shouted "unintelligible words" and attacked two different groups of people with a weapon.[4][5]
Two air ambulances were deployed to the scene.[6] A spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire Hospital confirmed that two victims of the attack were being treated in their emergency department.[7]
Reactions
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer both expressed their concern over the incident.[4][8] Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his condolences and thanked emergency services for responding to the scene.[4]
The leader of Reading Borough Council described the situation as a "major incident", and asked people to avoid the town centre.[9]
References
- ^ "Forbury Gardens, Reading: 'Several dead' after park stabbing incident". BBC News. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ a b "*UPDATED* Man arrested following incident of stabbing – Reading | Thames Valley Police". www.thamesvalley.police.uk. Thames Valley Police. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ a b Connett, David; Otte, Jedidajah (20 June 2020). "Three dead and two in hospital after stabbings in Reading park". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Wright, Mike; Bird, Steve; Hardy, Jack (20 June 2020). "Reading stabbings: Man arrested after three killed in Forbury Gardens attack". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Stubley, Peter (20 June 2020). "Reading stabbing: At least two people stabbed in 'serious incident' in town centre". The Independent. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Ward, EJ (20 June 2020). "Forbury Gardens: 'Several dead' after mass stabbing incident in Reading". LBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Hornall, Thomas; Astle, Mary-ann (20 June 2020). "Multiple stabbings as police deal with 'major incident' in Reading park". Stoke Sentinel Live. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Three dead in stabbing attack in English town of Reading: report". Reuters. 20 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Reading stabbings: At least two stabbed as police deal with 'terror incident'". Sky News. Retrieved 20 June 2020.