Six of the injured children are in critical condition, along with two adults who were also injured during the attack. According to a statement from Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, a 17-year-old male has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Kennedy reported that the children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed event at a dance school when a man armed with a knife walked into the premises and began the attack. She said that the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children. "As a mum of two daughters, and the nanna of a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering the families of the victims are currently going through and I want to send them our heartfelt condolences and sympathies,” she said. The attacker is said to have been wearing a face mask and refused to pay after getting out of a taxi that drove him to the school. Police are not yet treating the incident as terror-related. A staff member at the school said the door was typically left unlocked, as there was no other way out of the building in case of a fire. She also said the door was usually unlocked because “the children want to go to the toilet constantly.” Emily Spurrell, Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner, says she is "utterly shocked and devastated" by the incident. "I cannot even imagine the untold pain and heartache they are facing. My thoughts are also with all those who suffered injuries and who have been affected by this harrowing incident," she said in a statement quoted by the BBC. "These young people had their whole lives ahead of them and it is hard to find the words to convey our deep sadness,” she added. “Our region will be heartbroken that more young lives have been lost at the hands of violence and more have suffered serious injuries, and I share local people's deep concern and anguish.”Two young children were killed and nine others were injured in a stabbing attack at a dance class in the English town of Southport on Monday morning.
