Nottingham stabbing suspect: Who is Valdo Calocane? Know everything about the suspect who killed 2 students & caretaker

Valdo Amisso Mendes Calocane is the man suspected of carrying out an attack that left three people dead in Nottingham. (Source: thesun.ie)

The person accused of fatally stabbing a school caretaker and two university students has been named. The Daily Telegraph reports that Valdo Amissão Mendes Calocane, a former student of the University of Nottingham, has been named as the suspect arrested in connection with the fatal knife and van rampage in Nottingham. Keep reading to know more about it in detail.

Nottingham Stabbing Attack: What happened?

The attack took the lives of school caretaker Ian Coates, promising athlete Grace Kumar, and Barnaby Webber.

Both Londoner Grace Kumar and Somerset resident Barnaby Webber, both 19 years old, were attacked while they were walking back to their dorms after a night out. Both of them were heard crying for help.

65-year-old Ian Coates was killed during a horrific carjacking on his way to work as a site manager for a school, and the culprit sped off with his white van. Later, at approximately 5.30 a.m. on Tuesday, a van mounted the curb and ran over some pedestrians. At the scene of the incident, his sons Lee and James Coates told reporters that the school caretaker would have been on his way to work when he was attacked.

Victims: Ian Coates, Grace Kumar, Barnaby Webber. (Source: thesun.ie)

One man was seriously hurt when the alleged killer attempted to run him over with the van he had stolen after stabbing Barnaby, Grace, and Ian. Locally identified as Wayne Birkett, the man is still fighting for his life in the hospital.

Shaun, the brother of the 58-year-old, told the Mirror:

 “There’s not much to say. We’re just waiting for Wayne to open his eyes.”

His niece, who declined to provide her name said that he is still unconscious and that his family is “worried sick.”

Today, Nottinghamshire Police announced that they have reported themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The police admitted that “a marked police car followed behind the suspect’s van for a short distance before it collided with the two pedestrians,” and they stated they had given the facts to the police watchdog.

A representative for the IOPC responded by saying:

 ‘We received a referral from Nottinghamshire Police on Wednesday informing us that a marked police car had been following behind the suspect’s van for a short distance at the time it collided with two pedestrians in the area of Sherwood Street in the city centre on Tuesday morning.

‘We are assessing the referral to decide what further action may be required of the IOPC.’

When the van was eventually halted at 5.30 am, the suspect was tasered and taken into custody on suspicion of murder.

Suspect: Who is Valdo Calocane?

Following the attacks that claimed the lives of Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19 years old, as well as 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates, Nottinghamshire Police detained the 31-year-old male on Tuesday morning.

Authorities have claimed that they do not believe there is a connection between the attack and the former student’s presence at the university, even though he was a student there. Detectives have been granted another 36 hours to conduct extra research after the suspect was captured and is currently being questioned.

Valdo Amissão Mendes Calocane, a former University of Nottingham student, has been named as the suspect detained in connection with the fatal knife and van rampage in Nottingham, according to the Daily Telegraph. The 31-year-old obtained a mechanical engineering degree from the institution last year.

The fact that the suspect was born in West Africa was one of the first things the media revealed about him. Although West Africa is a sizable region with a sizable population scattered across more than a dozen countries, no information on the nation in where he was born has been made public. Although the duration of his stay in the UK is unknown, it is known that he is a resident here legally. The suspect is reportedly not cooperating with police at this time, according to The Telegraph.

Additionally, new information about the suspect’s activities in between the attacks has surfaced. It has been found that he attempted to break into Seely Hirst House, a shelter for the homeless, just before the awful events happened.

In Mapperley Road, there are police officers outside Seely Hirst House. (Source: metro.co.uk)

The culprit is shown in CCTV footage from the hostel’s security cameras hammering on a ground-floor window before being confronted by a resident.

(Video Source: The Sun)

He can be seen attempting to scale a ground-floor window when Trevor Proverbs, 59, a neighbor, punches him in the face to knock him off the ledge. Mr. Proverbs said he saw the man while watching TV because he couldn’t sleep.

He told MailOnline: ‘There was a guy all in black looking through the window. I thought he was a burglar at first so I shouted at him to ”f*** off”. But he actually jumped up on the ledge and opened the top window as though he was going to try and come in. I got off my chair and just punched him in the face with a right-hook, which forced him down off the ledge. He looked up and walked around a bit but left. The security knocked on my door to check to see if I knew the man. I’ve never seen him before in my life.’

It occurs amid reports that Calocane showed up at MI5’s London headquarters in August. When the suspect was trying to enter his subsidised housing block, Trevor Proverbs claimed that he punched him. After his name was logged and he demanded entry into the facility, security staff allegedly moved on’ him.

A security source told The Sun: ‘He turned up one day and literally started banging on the door. He was moved on and logged. This happens from time to time.’

The suspect can be seen being taken away while being cuffed on CCTV. (Source: thesun.ie)

The guy allegedly stabbed Ian Coates to death after being stopped from breaking into the hostel. Coates was supposedly on his way to work. After thereafter, it was claimed that the suspect stole Mr Coates’ van and used it to deliberately hit people, gravely injuring one of them. Given that a marked police car was allegedly following the suspect’s van at the time of the collision, Nottinghamshire Police has reported this event to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

When it was discovered that the suspect was once a student, the University of Nottingham expressed outrage. They made a point of stating that the police had determined there is no link between the attack and the suspect’s prior attendance at the school. During this difficult time, the university’s primary concern is continuing to offer assistance to the impacted families, friends, and the larger community.

Vigil for the Victims

Following the memorial service for Ms O’Malley-Kumar and Mr Barnaby Webber held on the university’s main campus on Wednesday, a second vigil is being held in Nottingham on Thursday.

As Mr Webber’s father, David told the crowd, “His heart will be with you guys forever,” and Ms O’Malley-Kumar’s father Sanjoy asked kids to look out for one another, grieving family members from both families hugged one another during the occasion.

Mr Kumar stated at the vigil on Wednesday: “Everyone here, I really, really want to thank you for your support, for taking the time to be here. All of you guys, everywhere that I see, a sea of people, such a lovely sign of the university and the bond you have. Grace was also like Barney, she loved coming up to Nottingham. In fact, we couldn’t get her down. The love that we have out here, I just wish we had it everywhere. So, look after each other is the big thing. Look after your friends and look after people around you. It is so important.”

Mr Webber’s parents visited the place of the vigil on Thursday to read the tributes left by well-wishers. Flowers were still being left as memorials in Magdala Road, the location of Mr Coates’ attack as he travelled to work at the neighboring Huntingdon Academy.

For the victims, hundreds of flowers have been placed all around the city. (Source: Thesun.ie)

Nottinghamshire Police and Counter-Terrorism Policing are maintaining an open mind about the reasons for the attacks as investigations go on. The city is still united in its sorrow and commitment to helping those who have been impacted by this tragic event.

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