Female Victim Knifed in Birmingham Bus Shelter Assault Dies
The female victim who was stabbed in the neck in an unprovoked attack near a bus shelter within Birmingham has passed away, authorities verified.
The victim, who was 34, was targeted on Smallbrook Queensway street, just outside Bullring shopping complex, shortly before 9 PM GMT Friday evening, West Midlands Police said.
Djeison Rafael, twenty-one, appeared before Birmingham court Monday morning, charged over the attack.
He was previously accused with attempted murder but following the woman's death charges were upgraded to include murder.
Police Response
The force said officers would be in the downtown area on Monday to offer reassurance, and investigators were supporting the woman's family.
Investigators are requesting for witnesses who might have observed Mr Rafael, identified as British citizen of Black ethnicity, and is believed to have been wearing an all-grey tracksuit, dark headwear, athletic shoes and rucksack.
Incident Location
The stabbing happened near the Bullring shopping centre, opposite the main entrance to Birmingham New Street station.
Police said they classified it as a random violent act and Det Insp James Nix said they were working to understand the motive behind.
Witness Accounts
An area worker, who works nearby, described the emergency response when she finished her shift around 10 PM on Friday.
She described the scene as extremely disorderly, adding that some of her colleagues heard a commotion at about 21:00.
"A lot of co-workers use transit services, take the tram... our safety is at risk fundamentally, here in the city centre."
Ashley Birks, 25, from Stoke-on-Trent, mentioned visiting to Birmingham quite frequently to see his girlfriend resident there, and was concerned regarding the incident.
"It makes me worried for my girlfriend," he stated.
"She lacks transportation employed at all of the big music venues... considering something completely unprovoked [happened], understandably, it's horrible."
