Police believe the murders of two young boys in machete attacks in Melbourne may have been cases of mistaken identity.
Fifteen-year-old Dau Akueng and a 12-year-old boy were fatally attacked while walking home from a local basketball match at Cobblebank in Melbourne’s outer north-west on Saturday night.
The alleged offenders remain on the run, with police describing the incident as having the “hallmarks of a youth gang crime”.
Police were called to Marble Drive about 8pm and found the 12-year-old boy, followed a short time later by reports of the 15-year-old victim at nearby Cobble Street.
The pair, who were friends, were treated at the scene but could not be revived.
Up to eight culprits fled in a vehicle that is yet to be identified.
Police are probing whether the killings were cases of mistaken identity.
“The children who were murdered were not gang members and it is not OK to remain silent,” Detective Inspector Graham Banks said on Sunday.
“It is one of the most horrific crimes in a substantial and growing list of crimes of this nature.”
The 15-year-old’s father, Elbino Akueng, visited the scene, demanding answers after his son’s death.
“My son is just gone like this — he was a basketball player, not a criminal,” he said.
The community had buried four children in the past month, Akueng said.
“Similar incidents happening, there’s no answer from police,” he said at the scene on Sunday morning.
An emotional Aboil Alor, a friend of the Akueng family, said the boys didn’t deserve to die.
“We needed justice especially for those children, 12 and 15 years old,” she said.
Witness reports and CCTV vision showed the killings were committed by a group of masked males armed with machetes and long blades.
Disturbing CCTV footage from the scene shows a group chasing down one of the boys before repeatedly striking him.
Two crime scenes were established, including one outside Jatinder Kaur’s home on Marble Drive. She said her daughter alerted her to the attack after seeing flashing lights out the window.
Kaur said her children struggled to sleep due to the fear of what occurred.
“It’s too scary for them,” she said.
Another crime scene was established on Cobble Street, near Christopher McFarlane’s property.
He discovered one of the youths’ bodies after hearing noises outside his home.
McFarlane said he witnessed eight people, brandishing machetes, jump into a large car just before 8pm. In what he described as a traumatic scene, McFarlane said the teenager’s hand had been severed.
He said the area was usually quiet, with a school just 100 metres down the road.
“I have lived in Melton for 28 years, and this area has always been really good,” McFarlane said.
“This is just a horrible thing to happen.”
He now feels unsafe in his neighbourhood, adding that he usually walked his dog at that time.
“This is such a safe area, but now that’s all gone,” McFarlane said.
“Everyone’s just devastated and shocked. We’ve just got the machete bins in — they haven’t done much good.”
Victoria’s machete ban came into effect on September 1, with the community urged to dispose of the weapons in specialised bins located at 45 police stations across the state.
The latest crime statistics showed crimes committed by children aged 10 to 17 jumped 17.9 per cent in the 12 months to the end of March.
It was the second successive quarter of record youth crime rates since data collection began in 1993.
More than 14,800 edged weapons were seized in the state last year, with police expecting to surpass that number in 2025.
Police were yet to get to the bottom of what was making young male offenders behave in such a violent and extreme manner, Banks said.
There must be a “strong deterrent” for weapons-related violence, he added.
“As I stand here before you, I think the penalties aren’t in balance with what community expectations are or mine,” Banks said.
Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward, including anyone with dashcam footage of the incidents.
-with AAP
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