A 14-year-old boy has died in hospital six days after he was stabbed in an altercation between two groups of people in Newcastle.
Northumbria police on Wednesday named the boy as Gordon Gault, of Newcastle. He had been in a critical condition since the incident, which took place shortly before 6.30pm last Wednesday in the Elswick area of the city’s west end. He died on Tuesday night.
Police said the teenager’s injuries were “consistent with having been caused by a bladed article”.
Fourteen arrests have been made in what is now a murder investigation.
Ch Supt Helena Barron, the area commander for Newcastle and Gateshead, said: “This is an absolutely devastating outcome and our thoughts are with Gordon’s family at this awful time.
“The last week has been incredibly difficult for Gordon’s family and I would continue to ask that their privacy is respected as they attempt to come to terms with what has happened.
“We are determined to find out the full circumstances that led to Gordon’s death. As a force, we are committed to using every single tactic at our disposal in order to identify the perpetrators and ensure effective justice is served.
“We have made a total of 14 arrests so far as part of our extensive inquiries, and officers remain in the area as part of the investigation and to offer reassurance to those living nearby. At this early stage, we believe all parties involved were known to each other and there is no information to suggest there is a risk to the wider public.
“I would encourage anybody with concerns to speak to an officer in the area. I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing patience and cooperation as we continue to investigate this serious incident.”
Anyone with information has been asked to contact police via the Tell us something page of the Northumbria police website or by calling 101.