Three men have been charged with murder following the death of a 23-year-old man in what eyewitnesses described as “a knife fight” on Livingstone Road, Thornton Heath, on Thursday.

Murder charges: Rodrigo Gomes Da Silva, Caio Vinicius and Weder Da Costa, all from South Norwood, are due to appear in court today

Police were called at 4.52am to reports of an assault, but found no trace of any victim or suspects at the scene when they arrived.

Soon after, a man arrived at hospital “with injuries consistent with a stab wound”. He died soon after. He has since been named as Matheus Dos Santos Mori.

The three suspects were arrested later on Thursday.

Rodrigo Gomes Da Silva, 38, Caio Vinicius, 28, and Weder Da Costa, 44, all of Prince Road, South Norwood, were charged with murder yesterday and are due appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court today.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who is leading the investigation, said: “Officers responded swiftly to this incident and three men have been arrested as part of our ongoing investigation. At this stage, we believe this to be an isolated incident, however local residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area over the coming days while enquiries continue.”

Anyone with information, or any footage that may assist the investigation, is urged to contact police on 101, quoting CAD 1189/09Jul

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

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