Woman stabbed to death in Birmingham near Bullring shopping center

A woman who was stabbed in the neck in an unprovoked attack at a bus stop in Birmingham has died, police have confirmed.

Katie Fox, 34, was attacked on Smallbrook Queensway, outside the Bullring shopping centre, shortly before 21:00 GMT on Friday.

Djeison Rafael, 21, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with the attack.

He was previously charged with attempted murder, but following Fox’s death, the charge was upgraded to murder.

The 21-year-old, of Rosedale Avenue, Smethwick, is also charged with two counts of causing actual bodily harm on October 27 and November 7, possession of a Stanley sword and assaulting a detention escort officer.

Mr Rafael, who appeared before District Judge John Bristow, was told to remain silent as he interrupted the six-minute hearing several times.

He was told that he would not be asked to plead guilty because the offenses were too serious to be tried by a magistrates’ court.

The case was sent to Birmingham Crown Court for a hearing on November 12.

The force said officers would be in the city center on Monday to offer reassurance. They added that investigators were supporting the victim’s family.

Detectives are appealing for witnesses who may have seen Mr Rafael, who they described as a black British national, and is believed to have been wearing an all-grey tracksuit, black hat, trainers and backpack.

The stabbing occurred outside the Bullring shopping centre, opposite the main entrance to Birmingham New Street station.

Police said they were treating it as an “unprovoked attack” and Detective Inspector James Nix said they were working to understand why it had happened.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “This brutal and abhorrent attack is absolutely shocking.”

He said tackling knife crime was his “top priority” and there had been “significant reductions” over the past year.

“However, I stress that I am not remotely complacent,” he said. “One victim of knife crime is one too many.”

“We are absolutely committed to constant, relentless and relentless action.”

Shalini Doal, who works nearby, told the BBC she had seen the emergency response when she finished her shift around 22:00 GMT on Friday.

She described the scene as “pretty chaotic” and said she and her colleagues were concerned for their safety.

Eleni Nazou, who also works in the city, said she had been at the bus stop at around 19:00 GMT that afternoon as she was traveling home. He said when he heard the stabbing had happened just two hours later, he imagined, “It could have been me.”

“It made me feel insecure and a little more cautious,” she said. “I don’t know how I can protect myself.”

Ashley Birks, from Stoke-on-Trent, said he came to Birmingham quite regularly to see his girlfriend, who lives in the city, and was worried about what had happened.

“I worry about my girlfriend,” he said.

“She doesn’t drive and she works at all the big music venues… and to think of something without any provocation [happened]You know, it’s horrible.”