Late to it, but this just popped up on my phone. Pretty horrific.
Article text:
Boy, 14, died after being hit by car then stabbed in ‘targeted assault’
Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size KEY POINTS Authorities are searching for an SUV and knives used in a deadly assault in St Albans on Monday night. A special investigation from The Age last month found that knife crime has reached new highs in Victoria. Victoria Police confirmed there have been 10 homicide investigations involving knives this year. A 14-year-old boy has died after being hit by a car and then stabbed in what police are calling a “horrific” targeted attack in Melbourne’s north-west.
Homicide squad detectives are investigating after emergency services were called to Bailey Street in St Albans just after 11pm on Monday following reports of an injured male on the road.
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Teen struck by car before stabbing death in Melbourne's north-west Play video 2:17
Teen struck by car before stabbing death in Melbourne's north-west
A teen was struck by a car before he was stabbed in Melbourne's north-west.
The teenager, from Braybrook, died on the way to hospital.
An investigation by The Age last month revealed that knife violence in Victoria has surged in recent years. Police confirmed that there had already been 10 knife-related homicide investigations in the state this year.
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Detective Inspector David Dunstan said the victim and his two friends had returned to Ginifer station after an evening in the Melbourne CBD and were walking home when they were approached by a group in a light-coloured SUV.
The car then turned and struck the victim, before two men wielding knives and wearing face-coverings got out and started assaulting and stabbing the teen.
Homicide squad detectives at the scene of the attack in Bailey Street, St Albans. Homicide squad detectives at the scene of the attack in Bailey Street, St Albans. CREDIT:PENNY STEPHENS
The 14-year-old’s two friends were uninjured and fled, raising the alarm with police. The pair have since given statements to investigators.
Dunstan said there was no information to suggest the attack was gang related, but said it was a “targeted” assault.
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“The victim and his friends were walking along the street when this vehicle has approached from nowhere, struck him and then he’s been assaulted … it’s horrific,” he said.
“The two others who were there have witnessed what’s happened, which would be traumatising for them … they’ve fled the scene, obviously they were in fear for their life as well.”
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CCTV footage of St Albans teens on Monday, June 26 Play video 0:34
CCTV footage of St Albans teens on Monday, June 26
Footage from a CCTV camera close to Ginifer train station shows a group of teens running moments before a 14-year-old was fatally wounded on Bailey Street. (NO AUDIO)
CCTV captured from a row of shops on Willaton Street, close to Ginifer train station, shows a group of three teenagers clad in hoodies yelling and running minutes before the boy was fatally injured.
Less than half an hour later – after the injured boy was discovered – protective services officers with flashlights can be seen in the video surveying the area.
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Dunstan said the victim had no prior history with police, and there was nothing to suggest the stabbing stemmed from an earlier altercation that night.
RELATED ARTICLE Awatif Ring and Achel Myek Ring, the mother and daughter of stabbing victim Myek Ring (top), brothers Machar Kot and Kon Kot and Ethan Tirant after having emergency open heart surgery. Violence A father lost two sons in six months to knife crime. A daughter, 7, is left to grieve He said there was no evidence to suggest the attack was directly related to the stabbing death of 16-year-old Pasawm Lyhym at a Sunshine bus stop in May, but he confirmed the 14-year-old Braybrook boy and his friends may have known Pasawm.
“They live in the same area, they attended school in the same area,” he said.
“I mean, 14-year-old kids have pretty big social circles, and they may have known each other in a loose context, but we have nothing to indicate that there’s been any sort of direct correlation to that previous incident.”
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Investigators are still looking for the SUV and knives used in the assault.
A special investigation from The Age last month found knife violence has reached unprecedented levels in Victoria, sparking police operations targeting at-risk youths, gang crime and weapon possession.
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Victoria Police on death of 14-year-old boy in St Albans Play video 15:14
Victoria Police on death of 14-year-old boy in St Albans
Det Insp Dave Dunstan addressed the media regarding the death of a boy on a St Albans street on Monday night.
Dunstan said Victoria Police are discussing measures with shopkeepers and retailers to put knives behind counters with better security tags. But he said because every house in Australia has a drawer full of knives, the issue was not one of access but rather “the use of the knives which is the problem”.
“There is always ongoing community engagements, both at a local level and higher levels, to co-ordinate responses to these actions,” he said.
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Officers will conduct safety patrols around St Albans on Tuesday and Wednesday, which Dunstan hopes will help the local community “with any concerns they have”.
Anyone with information or anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
Follow up story on 7 news here: https://7news.com.au/news/vic/teen-identified-as-victim-of-st-albans-stabbing-death-as-victoria-police-hunt-attackers-c-11111837