A teenager has been charged with murder after a 15-year-old boy was stabbed to death while picking his sister up from school.
Pharrell Garcia, 15, was found with fatal stab wounds in a residential neighbourhood in Hackney, east London, on Tuesday afternoon.
Pharrell, described by friends as always smiling and making them laugh, died at the scene.
A boy was arrested later that evening on suspicion of murder, with police saying that a 15-year-old has been charged today.
The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been remanded and will appear at Stratford Youth Court on Friday.
Police arrived at Stellman Close at about 4pm on Tuesday to reports of a stabbing.
Officers found Pharrell collapsed on the ground not far from Bethnal Primary School, just round the corner from Rectory Road Overground station.
Witnesses said he had been at his old primary school earlier that afternoon before going to pick up his little sister.
‘Then he was jumped, it was a set-up,’ a youth worker in the local area claimed.
‘They demanded his phone, he refused and he was stabbed in the back.’
Pharrell’s family are ‘understandably heartbroken’, Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said yesterday.
‘I know the community will be searching for answers today and will be shocked and angry at this tragic loss of life.
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‘I want them to know that we will do everything in our power to provide those answers and bring those responsible to justice.’
Among those left shaken by Pharrell’s death was a social media user who said he knew the teen.
‘Rest in peace bro. I heard this and broke down,’ he said.
‘You have left your loved ones not just in tears but filled with questions.
‘You always would argue and fight me, make me laugh and walk around with a smile on your face. Can’t really say much other than Rip. Big bro.’
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