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Grace O’Malley Kumar, an Indian-origin teen, was named as one of three victims of a frenzied series of knife attacks on the streets of Nottingham, England on Tuesday, 13 June.
19-year old Kumar, who previously represented England in junior hockey competitions, was reportedly with a fellow University of Nottingham student cricketer Barnaby Webber, also 19, when the attacker fatally stabbed the two. Ian Coates, 65, who worked as a school caretaker, was also attacked.
The Nottinghamshire Police confirmed that all three victims died of knife injuries.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell said in a statement that a 31-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.
According to the police, Kumar was walking back to her university accommodation with Webber from a post-exam party on Tuesday morning when a man randomly stabbed and killed both of them.
Kumar ran from her attacker into a front garden and tried to enter a house, however, she collapsed and died.
"We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the attacks and I can reassure the public that it is safe to visit the city centre – though there may be some road restrictions as we continue to establish what has happened. We are still in the early stages of the investigation and need to determine the motives behind these attacks. We are keeping an ‘open mind’ and are working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing to establish the facts – as we would normally do in these types of circumstances."Chief Constable Kate Meynell
Grace was in her first year studying medicine at the University of Nottingham. Her father, Dr Sanjoy Kumar, was awarded an MBE for saving the lives of three teenagers who were also attacked with knives in a gang attack in 2009.
Grace lived with her father, her Irish mother, and her brother, James, in north-east London's Woodfred Green and the family issued a statement paying tribute to the daughter and requested the media to respect their privacy.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took to his Twitter to pay tribute to the victims of the attack.
"Grace was a medical student, thriving in her first year of study and inspired to a career in medicine by work placements in a GP surgery and her volunteering for the nationwide vaccination programme during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was held in the highest regard by her tutors and teammates alike."Professor Shearer West, Vice Chancellor of the University of Nottingham
A vigil was organised outside the students' union at the University of Nottingham to pay tribute to the two students. In a statement, Kumar’s parents expressed their “complete and utter devastation” and described the teen as “an adored daughter and sister” and “a truly wonderful and beautiful young lady”.
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