England riots: Spasm of violence claims more lives
By Ian Dunt Follow @IanDunt
A murder inquiry has been launched following the death of three men in violent clashes across England last night.
The three British Asians were driven into by a car as they protected their community from rioters in Birmingham.
One man has been arrested over the incident.
Chief constable Chris Sims said his main concern was that the killing did not create distrust between communities.
"At these difficult times people across all our communities must trust the police to protect them," he added.
"We know people are worried, concerned – angry perhaps. But I would appeal to people, particularly at this time, to be calm."
David Cameron is due to arrive in Birmingham later today for talks with community leaders.
The father of one of the murdered men, Tariq Jahan, offered a dignified and eloquent statement which moved many observers.
"I started resuscitating my own son. My face was covered in blood. My hand was covered in blood," he said.
"I can not describe what it feels like to lose your son."
Pressed on his views of the police and government reaction to the riots, Mr Jahan refused to criticise either.
The event came as the disorder that has beset the country spread out from London to blight other English cities, including Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.
The sudden influx of thousands of police into London appears to have secured a peaceful night in the capital, but left some forces outside the city unable to cope with disturbances in their area.
Manchester and Salford were particularly badly affected, with 108 arrests in the area overnight.
"This has been senseless on a scale I have never witnessed before in my career," commented Garry Shewan, Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester police.
"We have extensive CCTV of all the activity that has gone on tonight. We have made it absolutely clear that as early as tomorrow morning we will be coming to make arrests."
A police station in Nottingham was firebombed, while Leicester, Bristol, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich were also affected.
Even Gloucester, a small, picturesque cathedral town close to the Welsh border, was affected, with mounted police engaging in running battle with youths.
There were a small number of isolated incidents in Cardiff as well, leading to worries the chaos may be spreading outwards beyond England.
In total, there were around 480 arrests overnight across England.
A crowd of mourners gathered outside City hospital in Birmingham today as the news of the three men's death spread.
There were concerns in some quarters that the disorder was taking on a racial aspect, with the standoff in Birmingham involving mostly Asian communities protecting their neighbourhoods from predominantly Afro-Caribbean youths.
There were also reports that vigilante activity in London had a racial tinge, although this was played down by some journalists on the scene.
The killing brings the number of deaths since the disorder began to four. A 26-year-old died yesterday after being found with gunshot wounds in Croydon, London, on Monday night.
Two of the men in the Birmingham attack died on the scene while the other passed away this morning. The car has been impounded and forensic experts are examining the scene while authorities appeal for witnesses.
