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  6 Arrests in Birmingham Murder

A boy fatally stabbed in Birmingham on Monday has been named as Dea-John Reid, as police continue to question six people over his murder.

The 14-year-old is understood to have been chased in College Road, Kingstanding, by a group at around 7.30pm before being stabbed.

He collapsed in the road and was pronounced dead a short time later; a post mortem examination confirmed he died from a stab wound to his chest.

Dea-John’s family is being supported by a specialist Family Liaison Officer at this tragic time and they have now formally identified him as the victim.

In a tribute they described him as an “incredibly talented young boy”.

It continues: “We’d like to thank the emergency services for their diligence and support…and the public for their outpouring of love and support throughout this tragic and challenging time.

“This loss not only affects us but everyone Dea-John knew, we have lost a son, his siblings have lost a brother and others have lost a friend. The passing of this incredibly talented young boy will be felt by us all. How many more mothers will have to mourn for their sons for this to stop?”

Police arrested six people yesterday on suspicion of murder. Four men in their 30s and two boys aged 13 and 14 remain in police custody.

Det Ch Insp Stu Mobberley from our Homicide Unit said enquiries are progressing and his team are investigating the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.

He said: “New information is coming into the enquiry all the time and being assessed.

“As the investigation has progressed we now believe there was an incident involving Dea-John and his friends shortly before the murder. That quickly escalated, resulting in Dea-John’s tragic death.

“During this precursor incident racist language was directed at Dea-John and his friends; that’s now being investigated.

We’ve arrested six people over the killing of a boy in Birmingham as our officers make “rapid progress” to identify the people we believe responsible for the shocking attack.

All six were arrested within the space of a few hours this afternoon following the fatal stabbing last night (31 May) of the 14-year-old in Kingstanding.

A man aged 33 was arrested from an address in Kingstanding at 3.35pm followed by a 13-year-old boy who was detained in the Walsall area.

Another man aged 38 and a 14-year-old boy were arrested from a vehicle in Cheshire while two men, aged 36 and 35, surrendered to separate police stations in the West Midlands.

All six have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.