Killed just yards from his front door: Boy, 14, was 'on his way to school' when ... trends now
A 14-year-old boy who was killed in the Hainault sword rampage came from a 'respectable' church-going family, neighbours have revealed.
Residents in the quiet north-east London neighbourhood saw their world turned upside down yesterday morning when a 36-year-old sword-wielding suspect carried out a 'random rampage' which killed the teenager and seriously wounded two police officers.
The victim is understood to be the son of two teachers and witnesses said he stood no chance as he was cut down by the knifeman just yards away from his front door as he was on his way to school.
Locals paid tribute to the teenager, who is believed to be the youngest of three from a respected, church-going family, but is yet to be identified.
It was reported last night that the boy went to private school and was wearing his sports clothes at the time of the attack.
One neighbour told the Mail: 'He is a nice, quiet boy. He does not play out, but stays at home. His family are very nice, respectable. They go to church and go out together as a family.'
Dramatic CCTV footage has emerged showing the moment a sword-wielding man was tasered and arrested by police
Officers can be seen demanding the 36-year-old suspect drop his weapon as he stands with sword in hand in front of a garage
A man 'wielding a machete' was seen 'prowling the streets of east London'
At around 6.50am, the swordsman rammed a grey Ford Transit van into a house near Hainault Tube station, before slashing members of the public and police officers who responded to terrified 999 calls.
Chilling CCTV footage captured the knifeman prowling the streets of the London suburb as part of a terrifyingly violent and bloody rampage that would leave the boy dead and four others, including two police officers, seriously wounded, during a 22-minute reign of terror.
Exactly what happened – and why – is what the police were still trying to piece together last night, unable to question their suspect while he receives hospital treatment.
But witnesses said that at around 6.50am a grey Ford Transit van with its bumper hanging off stopped in the middle of a cul-de-sac on Laing Close.
Neighbours cautiously opened their front doors and peered out of garden windows after a man let himself out of the crumpled and smoking van, holding a mobile phone and asking onlookers where he was.
Confusion quickly turned to terror as the man withdrew a samurai-style sword from the back of his trousers and began stalking the streets.
After fatally wounding the schoolboy, the killer dragged his victim's body from the road towards the pavement before he began prowling through front gardens, wielding his weapon as if hunting for his next target.
'He was
