Kelyan Bokassa was groomed by gangs from the age of six years old, his mother Mary Bokassa said.
Mother pays tribute to son killed on London bus
Mary BokassaA 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a bus in south-east London loved music and cared about the people around him, his mother said in a tearful tribute.
Kelyan Bokassa was also kind and good at football, his mother Mary Bokassa told the BBC.
He died shortly after being attacked on a 472 double-decker bus on Woolwich Church Street at about 14:30 GMT on Tuesday.
No arrests have been made, but detectives say they are working “at pace” to find those responsible.
Mary BokassaSpeaking to the BBC from her flat in Greenwich, Ms Bokassa said her son was “caring, very caring”.
“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,” she said.
“He was very articulate.
“He knows what he likes and knows how to express it.
“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.”
Kelyan attended Newhaven School, a pupil referral unit and specialist school in Eltham.
Head teacher Jon Kelly said: “We are devastated at the tragic death of this funny, kind and ambitious young man.
“It comes at a time when he was working incredibly hard at school to build on the successes he had already achieved since joining us.”
Mr Kelly said his thoughts were with Kelyan’s family and friends at “this unimaginably difficult time”.
St Columba’s Catholic Boys’ School in Bexleyheath confirmed Kelyan attended the school in 2022.
Paul Drake, the chief operating officer of the academy trust that runs the school, said staff and pupils were “saddened” by his death.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time,” he said.
“Our schools will provide support to any of the students who may be affected by this senseless violence.”
St Mary Magdalene Church in Woolwich plans to hold a vigil in Kelyan’s memory this evening.
Police, paramedics and the London Air Ambulance were called to the scene on Tuesday afternoon after the alert was raised by an officer on patrol.
Medics tried to treat the boy’s injuries, but he died soon afterwards.
A crime scene remains in place around the area as investigations continue.
Kelyan’s death comes just three months after another teenage boy lost his life to knife crime in Woolwich.
Daejaun Campbell, 15, was stabbed to death in Eglinton Road on 22 September last year, less than a mile-and-a-half away from Tuesday’s stabbing.
He was among 11 teenage boys who lost their lives to homicide in London in 2024.
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