Nottingham Magistrate’s Court has granted a further 36 hours to detectives investigating the murder of three people in the city.
Law enforcement officers continue to question a 31-year-old man, arrested on Tuesday, in relation to the stabbing of University of Nottingham students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, as well as school caretaker Ian Coates.
The attack on the two students took place in the early hours of June 13, following which the attacker killed the 65-year-old Coates and stole his van.
He then attempted to run over a man in the Milton Street area of Nottingham. The victim remains in a serious condition in hospital.
Detectives are questioning the suspect to build up “a strong picture of what happened that morning.”
“This has included CCTV gathering, forensics, eye-witness accounts and searching a number of properties in the city,” police said.
Following the incident in the Milton Street area, the attacker tried to run over two other people in the Sherwood Street area. The two pedestrians received minor injuries.
“We have referred this part of the incident to the IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct], as a marked police car followed behind the suspect’s van for a short distance before it collided with the two pedestrians,” Nottinghamshire Police said.
The police used a stun gun to detain the suspect when they stopped the vehicle.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell said on Tuesday that police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the attacks and reassured the public it was safe to visit the city centre.
Police said they are keeping an “open mind” regarding the motives behind the attacks, adding that the suspect is a former University of Nottingham student but “at this time, it is not believed to be connected with the attack.”
The police have been also examining the footage of a man trying to enter a supported living hostel in the city’s Mapperley Road on Tuesday morning, shortly before Coates was killed. The man was denied entry and the incident was not reported to police at the time.
A vigil will be held in Nottingham’s Old Market Square on Thursday evening, with members of the communities, families of the victims, and university staff expected to attend.
Shocking Events
Speaking about the impact of the “shocking series of events” on the victims’ families and the public, Meynell said it goes beyond the county and affects the whole country.In response to the attacks, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that the police must be give time to undertake their work.
“My thoughts are with those injured, and the family and loved ones of those who have lost their lives,” he added.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer responded to the “awful news from Nottingham” and thanked the police and emergency services for their work.
A statement by Nottingham’s three Labour MPs said they were “shaken by the events” but vowed to “meet them collectively as a community and heal together.”
Police confirmed that officers have been gathering evidence during searches at addresses across Nottingham “but no further arrests have been made.”
