Two dead as West Yorkshire Police launch second double murder inquiry in 24 hours
Two men have died following a stabbing in Halifax as police in West Yorkshire launched a second double murder investigation in just 24 hours.
On Saturday, two men aged 53 and 65 died after an incident in the Harehills area of Leeds at around 11am.
Officers were called to reports of a man with a stab injury and found him fatally injured in the road. A second man was found fatally injured in a nearby property while a third had a stab injury to his hand.
Two men aged 46 and 47 have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
On Sunday, police were called to Halifax town centre in the early hours of the morning to reports that three men had been attacked. Two young men, aged 21 and 19, have died as a result of stab injuries, police said. A third received non-life threatening injuries.
Three men, two aged 18 and one aged 19, have been arrested.
West Yorkshire Police urged members of the public to come forward to help them solve both crimes.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Holdsworth, who is leading the investigation in Halifax, said: “This is an extremely serious incident which has resulted in the death of two young men and a further man injured.
“We have specialist officers supporting both of their families and are determined to get answers for them and ensure that the person or people responsible are made to face justice for their actions.
“What I would ask for now is the support of the wider public in providing any information about what has taken place or the events leading up to it. I understand that people were present in the area at the time of the incident, and I would urge anyone with information, dash cam or phone footage which could be relevant to our investigation to please make contact.
“I understand people locally will be rightly concerned and I want to reassure people that we are doing everything we can to investigate all possible lines of enquiry to understand the full circumstances of what took place.
“There is still a significant scene in place this morning, with a smaller scene remaining while we conduct forensic enquiries. I would like to thank residents and businesses for their understanding during this time.”
Anyone with information that may assist our investigation is asked to contact the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team via 101 quoting Operation Pochard, reference number 215 of 1st October or online at www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat.
Information can also be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
