Shiregreen – a community reeling over tragedy that has left two children dead and four in hospital

Six children were taken to hospital following an incident in Shiregreen, on Friday at 7.30am.

Among them were two boys, aged 14 and 13, who sadly died.

The four other children, aged 11, 10, three and seven-months-old, have since been released from hospital.

A 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have both been charged with two counts of murder each.

The woman has also been charged with three counts of attempted murder.

They are due to appear at Sheffield Magistrates Court tomorrow.

While the details of what exactly happened is still unkown at this time, what is certain is the effect the tragedy has had on the community.

At various times on Friday the scene in Gregg House Road was packed with as many as 15 police cars, four ambulances and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, plus reporters from numerous media organisations, and bemused residents asking what had happened.

After news of the tragedies began to filter through late yesterday, The Star returned to the street this weekend to find the mood much more sombre.

Dozens of floral tributes could be seen on a wall outside a property that was still sealed off by police tape.

There was also a steady stream of tearful visitors – many of them school children and friends of the two dead boys – bringing flowers, balloons and teddy bears to the scene.

One girl, aged 12, described the boys as “two lovely lads” and told how one of them had raised money for a cancer charity in honour of a friend who had the disease.

She added that they liked football and video games, before breaking down and saying: “They always used to look out for you.

“Everyone is devastated.”

Her mum, aged 45, described the boys as “polite” before adding that her daughter “was crying all night” over the tragedy.

“It is heartbreaking for everyone.”

A woman told how her son passed flowers to a policeman and even the officer had “tears in his eyes.”

Meanwhile, another visitor got out of a taxi in floods of tears, put down some flowers, and then quickly left as though she couldn’t bear to be here for too long.

Jonathan Campbell, aged 50, who lives on the street, did not know the children but still felt he should lay flowers as a sign of respect.

He said: “It is heartbreaking, really sad. It is bad when anyone dies but especially kids.”

A relative of the children described the youngsters as “happy and smart” and told how the family has lost “two beautiful boys.”

She said everyone is “very upset and can’t get our heads around what has happened” and added: “It has been a massive shock to us all as well as the community. We are also grateful for all the support off the community.”

She urged people to light two candles on Sunday at 6pm in memory of the two boys who died.

Reverend David Dean-Revill, of St James and St Christopher Church in Shiregreen, said the congregation would be praying for those affected at Sunday service.

He said: “I wish to express my deepest sympathy to all those affected by the heartbreaking tragedy which occurred earlier this week in Shiregreen.

“Shiregreen is a friendly and resilient community that will be shaken by this tragic event.

“Please pray for those deeply affected and the people of Shiregreen at this time.”

Shiregreen councillor Dawn Dale said: “It is heartbreaking and my thoughts go out to the extended family. I hope that the four children are getting the support and care that they need.

“Most people are in shock, this is something that is not the norm. Shiregreen is a really strong community, there is a sense of neighbourlyness and of helping one another.

“I think people will rally for one another.”

She added: “I also want to put out a message to other young people in Shiregreen that there are services in Sheffield where they can go to get support. There is a service at Sheffield Futures at Star House where they can talk to someone.”

Post mortem examinations to establish how the boys came about their deaths were expected to take place last night but the results have not been released yet.

Police have not given any further details about what happened at the incident, only that they were called out to “reports of concerns for safety at a property” and that the children had been “rescued.”

Officers remained at the scene over the weekend as their investigations continued.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting incident number 122 of 24 May 2019.

*None of the children involved in this awful tragedy can be named for legal reasons. Friday's court ruling also covers social media comments so please do not post photos or anything that could lead to their identification. Thanks, The Star team.