A murder investigation has been launched after a boy was seriously injured in an assault on a green space off Waterson Vale in Chelmsford around 11:30pm.
He was taken to the hospital, where he died. His family is aware and receiving assistance.
Officers arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of murder less than two hours after the report was made to us. He is still being held.
Specialist officers, including detectives from our Serious Crime Directorate, as well as forensic officers, are still on the scene, where a cordon is in place while investigations continue.
This is a shocking incident leading to the death of a young boy,” Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby, Head of Major Crime, said. “I understand that many will be concerned after waking up to this news.”
“We are confident that this is a singular and targeted attack.”
The specialist teams are expected to stay in the area for the next few days to continue gathering vital evidence.
We are still asking anyone who was in the Waterson Vale or surrounding roads in Chelmsford last night and may have seen or heard anything to contact us. Anyone with additional information is also encouraged to contact us. We have launched a Major Incident Public Portal, which allows members of the public to submit information directly to the investigation team.”
The Major Incident Public Portal is available at https:///mipp.police.uk/operation/4201020123Q43-PO1.
Please contact us if you have any information, CCTV, doorbell footage, dash cam footage, or other footage related to this incident.
You can notify us by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service, which is available Monday through Friday (excluding public holidays) from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
To learn more about our website reporting services, go to www.essex.police.uk/digital101.
Alternatively, you can dial 101.
In an emergency, dial 999.
You can make an anonymous report to the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK by visiting their website or calling 0800 555 111.
Please reference incident 1321 of February 12th when providing any information to ensure that it reaches the correct person as soon as possible.
