The devastated brother of one of the victims of the Nottingham attack was comforted by his family at an emotional vigil for the two university students killed at random.
Students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19 and school caretaker Ian Coates were killed in knife attacks in the city early Tuesday morning.
As the two students’ families sat next to each other, Barnaby’s father, David Webber, could be seen hugging his troubled son, Charlie, who was earlier described in a family statement as being left “bereft” by the tragedy.
David Webber spoke at the University of Nottingham event for the students on Wednesday afternoon: “I’m lost for words. I’ve lost my baby boy, and I can’t even comprehend how I will deal with it.
Bereaved Brother Receives Comfort from Loving Family
“I know Barney would be super touched by everyone being here. He loved it here. He couldn’t wait to come back. It drove me mad, but… his heart will be with you guys forever.”
Grace’s father, Sanjay Kumar, choking back tears, added: “You know the love we have out here; I just wish we had it everywhere. So look after each other, that’s the big thing.
“Look after friends and people around you; that’s so important. I think Grace and her friend felt together you, you need to be friends with everyone and love everyone, and I wish we had more of it.”
The father of a student killed in Nottingham made an emotional plea at a vigil held by the university.
The families of medical student Grace O’Malley-Kumar and history student Barnaby Webber stood together as they addressed the thousands who gathered to pay their respects.
Barnaby’s father, David, told those gathered that “his heart will be with you guys forever”, while Grace’s father, Sanjoy, told the students to look after each other.
Mr Kumar said: “The love we have out here, I wish we had it everywhere. So, looking after each other is the big thing.
“Look after your friends and look after people around you. It is so important.”
The third victim of the attacks was revealed yesterday as school caretaker Ian Coates, a father to three and a grandfather.
Mr Coates’ sons left tributes at the scene of his death on Wednesday, telling reporters he was “a die-hard Forest fan” and a keen fisherman who took young people from deprived backgrounds fishing to divert them from crime.
Two teenage students and a man in his 60s were stabbed to death, and a further three people were injured after a stolen van ploughed into them in a spree of violence across the English city of Nottingham early Tuesday morning.
Family Stands by Bereaved Brother at Emotional Nottingham Vigil
Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, 19-year-old students at the University of Nottingham, and Ian Coates, 65, a school janitor, were fatally stabbed.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Nottinghamshire Police said Wednesday that they were “working closely with counter-terrorism policing to establish the facts” but added they were keeping an “open mind” about the motive.
Police were called to Ilkeston Road northwest of the city just after 4 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) on Tuesday after a public member reported that two young people had been stabbed and were unresponsive.
Another public member then called police to Milton Street after the driver of a stolen van had attempted to run over three people – in an attack that left one man in hospital in critical condition and two others with minor lesions.
Nottingham Attack Victim’s Brother Embraced by Family at Vigil
The vehicle was then stopped on Maple Street, where the suspect was tasered and detained on suspicion of murder by police officers.
“At the moment, we believe that the suspect has stolen this man’s vehicle and driven it to Milton Street, where he has then driven at members of the public,” Chief Constable Kate Meynell told reporters on Tuesday evening.
Meynell said, “We are still in the early stages of the investigation and need to determine exactly the motives behind this attack.”
One eyewitness, Lynn Haggitt, told the BBC she saw a white van go “straight into these two people” during her work commute.
“The woman went on the kerb. The man went up in the air. It was such a bang,” Haggitt said. “I wish I never saw it; it’s shaken me up.”
