Three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 21-year-old man died following an assault in Central Park in Chelmsford on Friday evening. Essex Police said the man was found with critical injuries at about 19:00 BST and died at the scene.
A 14-year-old boy, a 17-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man remain in custody, and police said all three are from Chelmsford. The force has not said exactly what happened in the park, but the understands the man died following a stabbing.
The case has put a busy public space at the centre of a murder investigation. Chelmsford Central Parkrun cancelled Saturday’s event on police advice, while an Essex and Herts Air Ambulance helicopter was seen at the scene on Friday night before taking off.
Detective Inspector Lydia George described the incident as deeply distressing and said a family was grieving. She said officers were determined to give them answers and build as clear a picture as possible of what happened, while making clear that police were not currently seeking anyone else in connection with the incident.
That reassurance sits alongside the continued police presence. George said there was no ongoing risk to the public, but officers would remain in the Chelmsford area over the coming days and the appeal for information remains open. Police were also seen in the Melbourne area of Chelmsford on Friday evening as they worked to piece together the sequence of events.
For now, the central question is not whether police have made arrests — they have — but how the attack unfolded in the park and whether the public can help fill in the gaps before the inquiry moves on.
