Tribute paid to 16-year-old boy stabbed to death in Stretford

Police were called to Thirlmere Avenue on Saturday night

Author: Luke WilsonPublished 28th Jan 2022

A family have paid tribute to their "cheeky chappy" as a murder investigation into his death continues.

Officers were called just before 7pm on Saturday to a report of a 16-year-old boy with serious injuries on Thirlmere Avenue in Stretford.

Tragically, 16-year-old Kennie Carter suffered a fatal stab wound to the chest and detectives from our Major Incident Team have so far questioned eight suspects, spoken to a number of witnesses and are continuing to make extensive forensic and CCTV enquiries at pace.

Kennie's family appealed for the community to come forward with information and said 'young lives like Kennie's are being lost far too often'.

They said:

"Kennie was our youngest, our baby, our cheeky chappy with baby blue eyes. His death has left a massive hole in our lives and our family has been destroyed. We will never have the opportunity to see him growing up and having a family of his own.

"Each day when we wake the house feels empty; we can't hear his footsteps, his voice or his music. We cannot believe how generous people have been, even people that don't know us or Kennie directly.

"We want to ask the community to provide as much information as they can to the police so that the person responsible is brought to justice. Young lives like Kennie's are being lost far too often and this has to stop."

Eight teenage boys aged between 14 and 17 have been arrested on suspicion of murder. Three have been released with no further action and five have been bailed pending further enquiries.

Officers in Trafford have been working closely with partners throughout this week and engaging with young people in the area who may have been affected by the weekend's events, or may have information or concerns that they haven't yet reported to the relevant agency.

High-visibility patrols have been deployed across the area and a number of schools and colleges have been visited and supported through Trafford Council's education psychology service.

The Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit - a team consisting of experts in areas such as education, youth justice, public health, police and criminal justice - is continuing to work closely with partners in Trafford including schools to offer information and support.

The work of the unit is part of the wider approach to tackling violent crime, such as working with schools to increase awareness of the consequences of getting involved in violent crime; identifying and working with young people at risk of violent crime; and developing a community-led approach to prevention and early intervention.

Anyone with information is asked to contact us on 0161 856 9908 quoting incident 2529 of 22/01/2022.

Alternatively, details can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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