Three people have been arrested on suspicion of murder, including a 16-year-old boy, following the death of a man in Newcastle. Police were called to a report of assault on Shields Road, in the Byker area of the city, at 7.25pm on Tuesday evening, Northumbria Police said.

A man aged in his 20s suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment but sadly died a short time later, officers said. The force said two men, aged 24 and 22, and the 16-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.

A section of Shields Road remained closed on Wednesday to allow investigations to continue.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Atherton said on Wednesday: “This is a tragic incident, and our thoughts are firmly with the family of the man who has sadly lost his life.

“We will offer them all of the support we can and would ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.”

Mr Atherton said: “We have launched a full investigation into the circumstances around the man’s death and arrested three people on suspicion of murder.

“We would like to reassure those in the local community that our officers remain in the area to carry out a wide range of enquiries to ascertain exactly what happened.

“I would also ask anyone with information regarding what took place yesterday evening to contact us.

“Your information could be of vital importance towards our investigation.”