The brutal deaths of two boys, aged 12 and 15, killed in a youth gang machete attack in Melbourne may have been the result of mistaken identity, police say.
Emergency services were called to Marble Drive in Cobblebank, 33km west of the CBD, just before 8pm on Saturday after one boy was found with horrific injuries.
On arrival, paramedics found the 12-year-old with critical stab wounds. He died at the scene.
A short time later, police responded to a second call less than 200 metres away on Cobble Street.
There, a 15-year-old boy, identified as Dau Akueng, was found seriously injured. He also died at the scene.
It’s understood one of the victims had a hand completely severed from his arm.
CCTV showed one of the boys, believed to be the 12-year-old, being chased by a trio of youths and attacked with what appeared to be a machete.
Detective inspector Graham Banks said the victims were set upon by up to eight people with ‘machetes and long-bladed knives’ after getting off a bus.
Dau Akueng (pictured) was killed in a suspected targeted attack on Saturday night
Dau and his 12-year-old friend were attacked while walking home from a local basketball stadium (pictured, officers at the scene)
Dau’s father (pictured) told reporters his son is a ‘basketball player, not a criminal’
He said the bloody slaying had the ‘hallmarks of gang culture’, but the victims had no known criminal links themselves.
‘Certainly, with the age of the youngest person, [it is] highly unlikely for them to be a gang member,’ he said.
‘It bears the hallmarks of gang culture and violence and that’s why it’s my belief it’s a gang that has committed it.
‘We haven’t identified the particular gang.’
He said the motivation for the attack was not clear, but said it was possibly a case of mistaken identity.
Dau’s father, Elbino Akueng, issued a desperate plea for justice on Sunday morning, declaring that his son was ‘a basketball player, not a criminal’.
He said Dau and the other victim were blocks from his home after playing at a local basketball stadium.
‘I’m talking right now in behalf of my community,’ Mr Akueng said.
The two deceased were found just hundreds of metres away from each other in Cobblebank
Dau’s father asked authorities ‘Who killed my son? Where is my son?’ (pictured, the scene on Sunday)
‘In this month, four kids have died in similar incidents and there is no answer from police. There is no answer for justice.
‘I told the police last night that I need an answer for my son. My son is just gone… like this.
‘He is a basketball player, not a criminal.’
Mr Akueng, a security guard, said his loved ones were not offered the same protection that he worked to give others.
‘I protect the community, but no one protects my family at home,’ he said.
‘I am a part of this society, a part of this community. I will protect people where I work, but no one protects my family at home.
‘I protect people outside of their homes, and then I come home and a loved one is not there. What do we say? We’ve asked for answers.
‘Who killed my son? Where is my son? This case will go on and on.’
Loved ones of the boys demanded justice for their deaths (pictured, family friend Aboil Alor at the scene)
Another family member said, ‘Dau loved basketball. He loved to joke around, he loved to make friends.’
Family friend Aboil Alor tearfully told The Age she would regularly drop Dau home after he played basketball.
‘He was a very good child and he deserves better. Where are the police?’ she said.
Neighbour Christopher McFarlane told the publication one of the victims’ hands had been cut off.
He and his friends had been enjoying a games night when they heard a commotion on the street.
‘We’d gone out there to have a look, but we could see the guy was just not moving at all, and his hand was completely severed from his arm,’ Mr McFarlane said.
‘It’s just devastating, stuff like this doesn’t happen here, it’s a good area. I feel sorry for the parents and what they’re going through right now … it is a horrible thing.’
Victoria Police confirmed homicide squad detectives were investigating both deaths, which are believed to be linked.
A group of assailants (pictured) attacked the two boys as they headed home from a local basketball stadium
Dau (pictured) died just blocks from his family home
Officers are treating the incident as a targeted attack, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.
Witnesses reported a black SUV in the area around the time of the stabbings, which detectives are examining as part of their inquiries.
One recalled hearing the 12-year-old scream ‘someone please help me’.
Crime scene vans and an SES tent were set up as officers canvassed the neighbourhood for evidence and spoke with nearby residents, including teenagers who may have witnessed the events.
Locals described the suburb as usually calm and family-oriented.
A woman was seen crying hysterically on Marble St about 9pm as family members tried to comfort her.
It’s understood parents and neighbours said other children were unaccounted for.
One Marble Street resident, who has lived there for seven years, told the Herald Sun: ‘It’s always really quiet here.’
Officers are treating the incident as a targeted attack (pictured,officers at the scene)
The murders have left the Cobblebank community reeling, with shocked neighbours gathering near the cordons late into the night.
Victoria’s Opposition Leader Brad Battin told The Herald-Sun the horrific scene was a ‘tragic outcome of the crime crisis’ in the state.
‘Too many Victorians have been victims of crime. Last night, two more Victorians were tragically added to that tally,’ he said.
‘When we talk about the crime crisis, we can never lose sight of its human cost. These are not just statistics, they represent lives lost, families shattered, and communities forever changed.’
Anyone with information is being urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
