Murder of Stephen Lawrence - Murder

Murder

Lawrence had spent the day of Thursday 22 April 1993 at Blackheath Bluecoat School. After school, he went to Lewisham to look around shops. After this, he travelled by bus to an uncle's house in Plumstead. He was joined there by Duwayne Brooks, and they played video games until leaving in the late evening. After realising that the bus on which they were travelling would get them home late, they decided to change buses on Well Hall Road. Lawrence walked along Well Hall Road to Dickson Road to see if he could see a bus coming. Brooks was still on Well Hall Road, part way between Dickson Road and the roundabout with Rochester Way and Westhorne Avenue. At this point, Brooks saw a group of five or six white youths on the opposite side of the street. At 10:35 pm, he called out to ask whether Lawrence saw the bus coming. Brooks claimed that he heard one of Lawrence's assailants saying: "What, what, nigger?" as they all quickly crossed the road and 'engulfed' Lawrence, who then received two stab wounds to a depth of about 5 inches (13 cm) on both sides of the front of his body, in the chest and arm. Both of the stab wounds severed axillary arteries. Brooks began running, and shouted for Lawrence to run to escape with him. They both ran in the direction of Shooters Hill, though Lawrence collapsed and bled to death after running 130 yards (120 m).

It is surprising that he managed to get 130 yards with all the injuries he had, but also the fact that the deep penetrating wound of the right side caused the upper lobe to partially collapse his lung. It is therefore a testimony to Stephen's physical fitness that he was able to run the distance he did before collapsing. —Richard Shepherd (pathologist), Macpherson Report