Woman Knifed in Birmingham Bus Shelter Attack Succumbs to Injuries
The female victim who was stabbed to her neck area during a random assault near a bus shelter within Birmingham has passed away, police have confirmed.
The deceased woman, who was 34, was targeted on Smallbrook Queensway street, right beside Bullring shopping complex, just prior to 21:00 GMT Friday evening, West Midlands Police said.
Djeison Rafael, twenty-one, appeared before Birmingham court on Monday, facing charges for the attack.
He was previously accused of attempted murder but following the woman's death charges were upgraded to include murder.
Police Response
The force said officers would be around the city centre on Monday providing public assurance, and investigators were supporting the woman's family.
Investigators are requesting any eyewitnesses who might have observed Mr Rafael, who is described as a Black British national, and is believed to have been wearing an all-grey tracksuit, dark headwear, athletic shoes with a backpack.
Attack Site Details
The stabbing happened near the Bullring shopping centre, across from primary access point to Birmingham New Street station.
Law enforcement confirmed they classified it as "unprovoked attack" with investigators stating they were working to understand why it happened.
Eyewitness Reports
Shalini Doal, employed in the vicinity, described paramedic and police activity after completing her shift around 10 PM Friday night.
She described the scene as extremely disorderly, and said co-workers reported hearing a commotion around 9 PM.
"A lot of my colleagues take public transport, take the tram... our safety is at risk fundamentally, in the downtown area."
Another individual, twenty-five, from Stoke-on-Trent, mentioned visiting the city fairly regularly to see his girlfriend who lives in the city, and was concerned regarding the incident.
"It causes concern for my girlfriend," he said.
"She lacks transportation employed at major concert locations... and to think something completely unprovoked occurred, you know, it's terrible."
