West Midlands Police have charged a man with the murder of Jacob Billington, who was one of eight people stabbed in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of Sunday.
Zephaniah McLeod, 27, of Nately Grove, Selly Oak, Birmingham, is also accused of the attempted murder of the seven other victims of the knife attacks.
McLeod will appear before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning.
Jacob, 23, died after being attacked in Irving Street while enjoying a night out with school friends from Liverpool visiting one of their group who is studying in Birmingham.
A post mortem concluded he died as a result of a stab wound to the neck.
A 23-year-old man, who was seriously injured in Irving Street, remains in hospital in a critical condition. A 22-year-old woman, attacked in Hurst Street, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
Another man, aged 30, remains in a serious condition in hospital, while four others have been discharged.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Munro is leading the investigation and said: “Since these tragic events unfolded in the early hours of Sunday morning we’ve had a team of officers working non-stop on the investigation.
“Our driving focus is to secure justice for the victims, their family and friends. Our sympathies remain with everyone who’s been impacted by these terrible crimes.
“Our investigation continues and I would urge any witnesses who’ve not yet spoken to us, or anyone with information they feel could help, to get in touch.”
Suzanne Llewellyn, deputy chief crown prosecutor of Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) West Midlands, said: “Following an incident in Birmingham city centre in the early hours of September 6 2020, the CPS has authorised West Midlands Police to charge Zephaniah McLeod with one count of murder and seven counts of attempted murder.
“This decision was made following careful consideration of the evidence presented to us by West Midlands Police as a result of their ongoing investigation.
“Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of the victims affected in this incident.”
Anyone with information, photos or video footage which could help the investigation can get in touch with us via this dedicated web link: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/20HQ19G54-PO1
Pic credit: Press Association. A police officer at a cordon in Irving Street in Birmingham after a number of people were stabbed in the city centre. West Midlands Police said they were called to reports of a stabbing at around 12.30am on Sunday and a number of other stabbings were reported in the area at around the same time.
