Taylor Swift Releases Statement After Stabbing at Swift-Themed Event Leaves 3 Children Dead

Taylor Swift enters Arrowhead Stadium before the start of an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals, in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 31, 2023. Ed Zurga/AP Photo

Taylor Swift has released a statement regarding a stabbing incident that occurred on July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance and yoga class in northwestern England, which resulted in the deaths of three young girls.

“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock,” Ms. Swift, 34, wrote in an Instagram story on Tuesday.

“The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”

Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Bebe King, 6, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, succumbed to injuries they sustained during the violent knife attack, according to a statement issued by Merseyside Police. Two adults and eight children were also wounded and are currently still hospitalized, with both adults and five of the children in critical condition.

“No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as [we] try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe,” Bebe’s family shared in a statement.

“Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess. Like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.”

The stabbing took place shortly before noon at a dance studio in the seaside town of Southport, located about 20 miles north of Liverpool, Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said in a statement issued after the attack.

“When [officers] arrived they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries,” she said.

Police secure an area where a man was detained and a knife seized after a number of people, including children, were injured and some killed in a stabbing in Southport, Merseyside, England, on July 29, 2024. James Speakman/PA via AP

“It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, who was armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside. We believe that the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked,” Ms. Kennedy said.

A 17-year-old male from Banks, a village in Lancashire, England, north of Southport, was arrested at the scene on “suspicion of murder and attempted murder,” according to the statement.

The suspect was taken to a local police station and interviewed by detectives. A representative for the Merseyside Police told The Epoch Times via email that the male remains in police custody and no charges have been made.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to X shortly after the attack, calling the stabbing rampage “horrendous and deeply shocking.”

“My thoughts are with all those affected,” he wrote, thanking the police and emergency services for their quick response.

“I am being kept updated as the situation develops.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.