A one-legged mobility scooter rider who was knifed to death on a busy street in London has today been pictured for the first time.
Jade Anthony Barnett, 38, ‘tried to get away’ but got stuck in his wheelchair, a witness has claimed, before he was killed yesterday on Rushmore Road in Clapton, Hackney.
One of his friends claimed the attack happened at the top of a set of stairs after a gathering ‘kicked off’.
Mr Barnett lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2007, according to his pals.
Met Police officers were called to the east London street at 3.38pm following reports of a fight, with suggestions that a machete was used in the gruesome attack.
Mr Barnett was treated by emergency services, including ambulance service and air ambulance staff, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two men, aged 21 and 28, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are being held in custody where they are being quizzed by Scotland Yard detectives.
His sister Simone Barnett, from Hackney, described him as a ‘cheerful and caring man’ who ‘never took nothing too seriously’.
Jade Anthony Barnett, 38, was yesterday killed on Rushmore Road in Clapton, Hackney
A witness claimed he ‘tried to get away’ but got stuck in his wheelchair with the attack happening at the top of a set of stairs after a gathering ‘kicked off’
A discarded mobility scooter on the scene where Jade Anthony Barnett was stabbed to death in a suspected London street fight
Met Police officers were called to the east London street at 3.38pm yesterday following reports of a fight
A forensic officer shines a torch on the discarded scooter near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton, east London
A woman, who did not want to be named, told The Telegraph Mr Barnett was her friend and told how he desperately tried to escape.
‘He tried to get away’ but could not ‘because he had his wheelchair’, she said.
Ms Barnett, 45, told how her brother had lived in Clapton with his mother, but his friends said he had moved to the Stratford area and also lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2007.
Ms Barnett added: ‘He comes around here (Clapton) all the time, everyone knew my brother – young, old, mothers, fathers, everybody knew my brother.
‘Everybody is family, he’s just that character.’
Mr Barnett had for the last year been working out at the nearby Pedro Amateur Boxing Club – just a 30-second walk from the suspected murder scene – in a bid to get fit after suffering a stroke.
Roosevelt Morrison, 44, had been coaching him and said he was ‘crushed’ to hear he had died.
And he revealed Mr Barnett was planning to go to Senegal where he was working with a charity to donate his old prosthetic legs.
‘All of a sudden I heard he got stabbed and I’m just crushed. Everybody knows him,’ he said.
On Wednesday evening, a black and grey mobility scooter was seen behind a police cordon – close to a forensics tent at the scene.
A forensics tent can still be seen in the middle of the road at the crime scene this morning
A forensics officer’s white coveralls left on the pavement near to where the suspected murder took place
The scene last night after emergency services rushed to the scene to try and save Mr Barnett
A local butcher described the victim as a ‘good guy’ who has lived in the area for about nine years. Pictured is the crime scene last night
The Met Police has confirmed two men, aged 21 and 28, have been arrested, on suspicion of murder. They remain in custody at an east London police station.
Video posted on social media – claiming the man was stabbed with a ‘machete’ – shows the road blocked off with police tape and an air ambulance flying over the residential area.
A local butcher described Mr Barnett as a ‘good guy’ who has lived in the area for about nine years.
A woman who was among those gathering at a police cordon after the death and who did not want to be named, said: ‘He was always funny, making jokes, friendly with everybody, always had a smile on his face, and always pleasant.
‘There’s not a bad thing I could say about him. I know him from long time, he’s a nice guy, very nice guy, always see him, he’s always pleasant.
‘You never expect (an incident like this) at all, to be honest, but to him, least of all – he’s just nice, always, always a pleasure to see him, he’s upbeat.’
A man who knew Mr Barnett, but also did not want to be identified, said he was ‘a young guy, good spirit, no enemies, no guns, no crime, no gangs’.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: ‘Our investigation is still in the early stages and my detectives are working hard to establish the circumstances of what has happened this afternoon.
A forensics officer works at the crime scene following a knife attack in Clapton yesterday
Video posted on social media – claiming the man was stabbed with a ‘machete’ – shows an air ambulance flying over the residential area
A crime scene was in place on Rushmore Road (pictured) and police confirmed two men have been arrested
‘If anyone has any information about this tragic incident I urge them to come forwards and speak to us, or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously with any information.
‘A number of streets have been cordoned off as our investigation continues at pace and I am grateful for the patience of the local residents of Clapton.
‘Our thoughts are with the family of the victim at this difficult time. The public can expect to see continued and significant police activity in the local area as we continue with our rigorous investigation.’
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or message @MetCC on X quoting CAD 4793/28AUG.
