It is a scene that is becoming tragically familiar on London's streets.
 A stream of mourners have left flowers at the scene |
Police tape stretched across a residential road, cordoning off the spot where a teenager has been killed.
On Monday, officers stood guard in a quiet street in Plaistow, east London, where, on Saturday night, 15-year-old Adam Regis was stabbed to death.
A steady stream of mourners was allowed through the cordon to lay flowers at the base of a tree, yards from the spot where he was found fatally wounded.
Most were school friends of Adam's who had taken time out from their lessons at Kingsford Community School to pay their respects.
None of the shocked and tearful pupils who visited the scene would speak to the gathered television crews and newspaper journalists.
Along with the growing pile of roses, lilies and carnations, a white T-shirt had been tied to the tree bearing the words: "RIP Adam, Allwayz remembered".
Another pile of flowers had been left outside the cordon, one from Adam's grieving girlfriend.
Her message read: "To Adam (the best boyfriend ever). Going to miss you so much. You're always going to be in my heart baby.
"Don't ever forget me and I'll never forget you. Love you with all my heart. Love Rachel."
'Wicked world'
Another tribute referred to the spate of killings in London, which have seen five teenage boys lose their lives in six weeks.
 Adam's heartbroken girlfriend left a message at the scene |
"Our thoughts are with yet another young victim and his family. God keep us safe in this very wicked world."
Adam was attacked as he walked along Boundary Road, a street of neat terraced homes close to West Ham United's stadium.
The area is a microcosm of multi-cultural London. It is home to established Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities.
Recently immigrants have begun to settle from Eastern Europe including Romanians and Lithuanians.
Those who live in the area spoke of their sadness at the killing but said they were not shocked it had happened.
Jay Patel, who runs a newsagents with his wife at the top of Boundary Road and came to the area 18 years ago, said crime was a problem.
"Every day something happens around here," he said.
"There are muggings, rapes and burglaries. Many of the people around here are hardworking, just trying to make a living.
"But there are drugs and gangs. It is just so very, very sad this boy has lost his life."
'Many drugs'
Farzana Esmail, 23, said she was often afraid to go out of her home at night because of the groups of teenage boys on the streets.
 Farzana Esmail said gangs of teenagers roamed the area |
"It can be very frightening. There are lots of groups of boys who hang around here," she said.
"On the night it happened, there were police everywhere, running in all directions. I knew something awful had happened.
"There's too many drugs. Lots of cannabis. I'm shocked this has happened."
Michael Roberts, 42, who lives close to where Adam was attacked, said he had been waiting for such a tragedy to happen.
"Maybe now the authorities will do something about the gangs who hang around here," he said.
"They're just teenagers with nothing to do mainly. They need something to occupy them. It's a shame something like this has to happen before anyone starts to take notice."
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Our thoughts are with yet another young victim and his family - God keep us safe in this very wicked world
