A 17-year-old has been charged with the murder of Peter Duncan who was stabbed with a screwdriver in Newcastle on Wednesday, Northumbria Police said.
He will appear in court on Monday.
Duncan, 52, was attacked in what police said was an unprovoked “chance encounter” at an entrance to Newcastle’s Eldon Square mall, close to a Greggs outlet, at around 6.20pm on Wednesday.
His family paid tribute saying he will be in their “hearts and thoughts every day”.
They said in a statement: “Peter was a kind and caring man who was always first to help others.
“He was a devoted father, husband, son, brother, uncle and friend and loved by all who knew him. His death will leave such a huge hole in our lives and he’ll be deeply missed by us all.
“Words can’t quite describe what life will be like without him.
“He had so much of his life left to live and he’ll be in our hearts and thoughts every day.”
Duncan was an in-house lawyer for a multi-national maritime firm.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he was an electrical engineer before training as a solicitor at Northumbria University in 2003.
He worked in Newcastle for Royal IHC Limited, which has a city centre office close to where he was attacked.