Boys as young as 14 are being murdered in a bloody postcode war as gangs groom children into joining them.
Kelyan Bokassa, 14, is the latest teenager to be stabbed to death in the area after he boarded the 472 bus in Woolwich on Tuesday.
But just 24 hours earlier, an 18-year-old student was left critically injured after he was stabbed less than a mile away.
The murders have shone a light on the postcode turf war of east London where gangs are fighting for control.
On Barnfield estate, where Kelyan lived with his mum, the Wildbatch gang operates and fights with bitter rivals the WoolyO gang which is said to have more than 300 members.
Wildbatch is based near Woolwich Common, while WoolyO are near the Woolwich Docks.
Both groups are attempting to gain control of the local drugs trade, and the Woolwich Boys are said to have even killed drug rivals using meat cleavers.
Kelyan’s mum Mary Bokassa told Metro her son was ‘taken advantage of by gangs’.
She said: ‘My son and others were taken advantage of by gangs. They were groomed. He was on edge and very scared of going out.
‘It was his first day back at school. He was out with his uniform on, he was very proud. It was another day, he was happy.’
They also have links to other gangs in south east London, with Wildbatch associated with the Zone 2 gang of Peckham and TG who are based in Plumstead Common.
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WoolyO are connected to GS28 in Thamesmeade and also with Parkside in Belvedere.
Kelyan had links to the Wildbatch gang and an hour before he was killed posted a message asking if any of his followers had a ‘mindi’ – the Somali word for knife.
He was due to appear before the magistrates tomorrow accused of carrying a machete into Ravensbourne College.
Kelyan’s friend DaeJaun also died a mile and a half away three months ago.
As he lay dying, he cried out ‘I’m 15, don’t let me die’.
Three teenagers, Jacob Losiewicz, 18, Marko Balaz, 18, and a 17-year-old youth have been charged with his murder.
Last May, a man in his 20s was also stabbed outside of a Pure Gym in Woolwich.
Footage shows two men trying to steal a bag from him before one pulls out a blade and begins slashing at his leg.
He was taken to hospital with a non-life threatening stab wound.
A few weeks later a vicious knife fight was also caught on camera outside a Footlocker store in Woolwich High Street.
In July 2021, 15-year-old Tamim Ian Habimana was stabbed in the heart outside Woolwich Arsenal station by a gang who had travelled from Dartford, Kent.
They were looking to avenge a friend of theirs who had been stabbed and injured nine days before.
Despite Tamim not being the attacker, he was approached by a 16-year-old boy who pulled out a zombie knife.
A 17-year-old boy was convicted of having an offensive weapon and conspiracy to commit violent disorder.
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