Earlier this month, 14-year-old aspiring British rapper Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed on a bus in South East London. Reportedly, the attack took place at roughly 2:30 p.m. on January 7. A patrolling officer notified emergency responders, but despite efforts to save him, Bokassa was pronounced dead at the scene. Now, just days later, two teenage suspects have been arrested. According to AllHipHop, these individuals are 15-year-old Colin Chabikwa and 16-year-old Mosawar Zazi. A 44-year-old woman has also reportedly been arrested on suspicion of helping an offender. Per Sky News, the Metropolitan Police say they’re all still in police custody.
“I know that this incident deeply affected you all,” Sarah Lee, Detective Chief Inspector said of the arrests. “I hope that these two arrests reassure you that we are doing everything to tackle violent offenders across London.” The Metropolitan Police continue to encourage anyone with additional information about Bokassa’s murder to come forward. His passing took place only months after another 15-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in the same area.
Colin Chabikwa & Mosawar Zazi Taken Into Custody
Reportedly, nine teenage boys were killed in stabbings in London in 2024, and another one in a shooting. During a conversation with BBC London shortly after her son’s death, Bokassa’s mother Mary reflected on some of the challenges he faced. She described him as “very caring,” but admitted that he’d been through “extremely challenging times” and been “taken advantage of” in the past. She also claimed that he’d been groomed by gangs since he was six years old. Reportedly, Kelyan was supposed to appear in court for an alleged machete offense days before he died.
“I feel hurt because I tried to prevent it. I’ve tried so many, so many times. I screamed it, I said ‘my son is going to be killed’,” she told the outlet. “He cares about the people around him, he loved to have his friends around and when they were round he would want to cook for them […] He was good in music. Anything he loves… he was doing to his best ability. He was good at football… and he was was extremely good at drawing.”
