The best pal of a schoolboy stabbed to death in a brutal street attack has called on the next Scottish Government to do more to prevent young tragedies.
Kenzo Cooper, 17, has slammed politicians over a “failed and forgotten” generation of kids amidst a sickening epidemic of youth violence.
His friend, Kory McCrimmon, was just 16 when he was knifed in the heart in a row over £50 in Glasgow’s east end in May 2024.
His killer, who was 13 at the time, was jailed for five years after admitting culpable homicide.
Kenzo is now opening up about this devastating loss as part of the Record’s renowned Our Kids … Our Future campaign, which was launched three years ago in response to worrying levels of attacks on teens.
View 6 ImagesKenzo played football with Kory, who tragically died after he was stabbed to death in May 2024(Image: Easterhouse Football Academy.)
Kenzo, from Easterhouse, said: Kenzo said: “Whoever wins this election needs to sort this mess out.
“My generation has been failed and forgotten about and there’s nowhere for kids to go.
“That’s why they are hanging about the streets and getting into bother.
“Threats of violence among boys had been going on in the area for some time before Kory died.
“We all knew somebody was going to end up dead, but I never thought it would be him.
“He had his whole life ahead of him and he should still be here today, but it has all been taken away from him.
“I’m glad the Daily Record is fighting our corner with its Our Kids … Our Future campaign, but the Government needs to listen.
“Young people deserve a chance, but we’re not getting it.”
View 6 ImagesKenzo Cooper(Image: Supplied)
Our campaign, alongside, experts and charities warned for a year that a child would die before Kory’s tragic death as we called on the government to acted urgently on the issue of violence among teens.
But despite these warnings, we went on to report on the tragic deaths of three schoolboys on Scotland’s streets within a 12-month period.
After Kory’s death, we told how Amen Teklay, 15, became the second teenager to lose his life after he died having been found seriously injured on a street in Maryhill in March, 2025.
View 6 ImagesAmen Teklay, Kayden Moy and Kory McCrimmon
Weeks after Amen’s death, 16-year-old Kayden Moy died in hospital following a disturbance at Irvine Beach in Ayrshire in May.
Kenzo believes their deaths should have been prevented, he continued: “Those other boys, Amen and Kayden, should never have died.
“The government should have learnt from the mistakes of Kory’s death and the Record warned a kid would die even before he lost his life.”
View 6 ImagesThe Record’s Our Kids … Our Future campaign
As part of Our Kids … Our Future, the Record has long demanded the Scottish Government to invest in violence prevention by ensuring young people have a safe space to go to in every community.
By investing in provisions like youth clubs, kids could be offered access to mentorship and guidance.
Meanwhile, Kenzo has remembered Kory as a “great mate” who would “turn any bad day into a good one.”
He said: “Kory was a great mate and was always there to cheer you up. He always had a smile and made everybody laugh. He would turn any bad day you had into a good one.
“He brought everybody together.”
Kevin Martin, who runs Easterhouse Sports Centre and supports youths in the area, said: “It’s crucial we act to create safe spaces for young people.
“If we don’t, there will be more fatalities. The summer holidays are coming up and kids have nowhere to go, of course I am worried.
“If these kids had opportunities when they were younger, it might not have resulted in death or violence.
“It is a shame we have to react to young deaths when we could be proactive.
“During this election period, we need to be guaranteed long-term stability and continuous support to get us out of this youth violence epidemic.
“We need investment and a promise from politicians that there will be long-term investment in kids.”
View 6 ImagesKevin Martin who runs Easterhouse Sports Centre(Image: Daily Record)
Local Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said: “Kenzo is right – the rise in youth violence in recent years was preventable and the Scottish Government has failed young people.
“With the equivalent of a year’s worth of funding to Glasgow City Council cut over the last decade by the SNP in Holyrood, community spaces and outreach work have disappeared from the East End of Glasgow.
“This has hollowed out our community capacity to run activities with young people to prevent youth violence, and it is essential that these cuts are reversed by the next Scottish Government.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As has previously been set out, the First Minister and the Justice Secretary met with Kory McCrimmon’s family to offer condolences for the unimaginable loss they suffered and listen carefully to their concerns and suggestions for ways to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.
“The Scottish Government provides a range of funding for youth work including grants, core funding and special initiatives. This includes the local authority block grant, which gives councils significant flexibility to allocate resources for youth work in their area.
“In recognition of their critical role in delivering localised services, including youth work, the Scottish Government is increasing the total resources available to local government in 2026-27 by £522 million.”
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