THE aunt of a woman stabbed to death on London's streets broke down as she wailed "why do girls carry knives".

Shakira Mercedes, 23, was in the "wrong place at the wrong time" when she was murdered on Sunday night – one of three people killed in just 12 hours on the capital's bloody streets.

And the young woman's aunt broke down in tears as she left a tribute where Shakira was stabbed to death in Chalk Farm, North London, on Sunday night.

The aunt, who did not want to be named, said: "I'm confused and I'm angry.

"Why do girls carry knives? Why does anybody carry knives?

"Why? I don't understand. I'm confused.

"I'm just sad her life has been wasted by foolishness – I'm sure it was foolishness. It's people being stupid."

Terry Ellis, from the group Camden Against Violence, said he believed the young woman had been stabbed after trying to intervene in "an argument she wasn't really involved in".

He said: "She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't gang-related, it wasn't drug-related.

"She was a wonderful young lady, always happy. She's got a lovely son and was just a normal mother."

Police said two other women were also found with stab wounds but their condition is not believed to be life-threatening.

A 35-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being quizzed by cops in custody.

BLOOD ON THE STREETS

And today dozens of mourners laid tributes for Shakira – who was known as Mercedes – as the mum became one of the tragic victims of London's crime epidemic.

The gruesome bloodbath started at 3.45pm yesterday when a man died after reportedly blasting himself with a shotgun in Sydenham, South London.

Horrified bystanders watched on as the man, in his 20s, was surrounded by balaclava-clad men, saying: "He shot himself, he f****ing shot himself".

One said: "He came to shoot someone else, but he ended up shooting himself.

"The bullet bounced off a car window. You can see on the car window where the bullet bounced off it.

"After it happened, the boy he came to shoot stood there filming him."

Desperate paramedics fighting to save him at the scene, he was pronounced dead five minutes later.

Less than a mile away, a man was shot in Kentish Town and pronounced dead at 12.10am this morning – with police launching a murder probe.

His next of kin are yet to be informed and no arrests have been made.

Scotland Yard the two murders are not being linked. Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last month he was determined to tackle rising levels of knife crime amid the impression of a growing "culture of insolence" among "thugs" who believed they could act with impunity.

Mr Johnson pledged to extend police stop and search powers and also said the government would be investing £2.5 billion in creating 10,000 new prison places.

Last year was London’s bloodiest in 10 years as the death toll reached 135, and if the current trend continues this year it could beat that harrowing number.

The knife crime epidemic has become so huge some schools will be forced to install knife arches, and teachers are constantly on the watch for dangerous blades.

Hospitals in the capital treat 21 people a day for knife wounds and other injuries from assault, official figures showed earlier this year.

Last week, Sun Online revealed London's knife-crime epidemic was scaring off tourists.

Statistics from VisitBritain show the number of overseas travellers who came to London between January and March this year dropped by 5.3 per cent, compared to the number who arrived in 2017.

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