Flowers at the scene in Marble Dr where Chol died. Photo / David Geraghty, NewsWire
A Snapchat sticker may have been behind the stabbing deaths of two boys in Melbourne’s outer west that has laid bare the city’s youth crime crisis.
Dau Akueng, 15, and Chol Achiek, 12, were ambushed walking home from basketball in Cobblebank on Saturday night by gang members armed with machetes.
Police have said it appeared the brutal murders were targeted but have stressed the victims were not known members of gangs themselves.
There has been an outpouring of grief among the boys’ friends and loved ones, who have called for an end to the senseless violence gripping Melbourne’s suburbs.
Social media posts have been tagged with #LLD and #LLC – standing for long live Dau and Chol respectively – and a petition calling for action on youth crime has been launched.
Chat sites frequented by people with knowledge of Melbourne’s youth gangs have also seen claims emerge about what could have fuelled Dau and Chol’s deaths.
It has been alleged a Snapchat sticker appearing to mock or “diss” another teenager who was fatally stabbed in the same part of the city last year may have played a role.
News.com.au does not suggest either Dau or Chol were involved in that incident, and members of the online group have repeatedly referred to them as “civs” – or civilians.
There have also been suggestions the boys were “set up” before they were attacked on the quiet Marble Drive about 8pm.
Victoria Police said that Homicide Squad detectives were “following up a number of avenues of inquiry and we continue to urge anyone with information about the incident and those involved to come forward”.
It was revealed 12-year-old Chol was waiting for his mother to pick him up when he was chased, attacked and killed by three armed assailants.
Dau died a few hundred metres away allegedly at the hands of other members of the gang.
Chol’s mum, Ayen Lual, spoke publicly for the first time on Monday night in comments published on a fundraiser set up for his funeral.
“Chol was an intelligent and warm-hearted child who could light up the room with his smile and loving nature,” she wrote.
“We remember him for how he cared for those around him, especially, his respect for the elders in his life.
“His sudden loss at just age 12 has left us numb with a hole that we know will never be filled because Chol was truly a special person with so much life ahead of him.”
The Collingwood All Stars Basketball Club shared a tribute to Dau on Monday night, saying the 15-year-old was “taken far too soon”.
“Thank you to everyone who came down to Collingwood to show their support tonight,” the club posted on Facebook.
“We are thinking of everyone who is part of Dau’s life.”
Coach Karl Morrell told the ABC that Dau was “one of the best players in the state for his age group” and dreamt of playing in the US.
Morrell said Dau made a four-hour trip twice per week from his home in Melton to inner-city Collingwood for training. “I hope that paints a picture of his dedication to his teammates,” he said.
Dau’s father told media on Sunday his son was a “basketball player, not a criminal”.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan addressed the “shocking act of violence” at a press conference on Tuesday, after meeting with community leaders on Monday.
“There is absolutely more that needs to be done,” she said.
“In some parts of our community, there is an ongoing pattern of behaviour and we’ve toughened the bail laws to deal with repeat, serious offending.
“It is absolutely clear that we need to do more and that is why I spent yesterday supporting communities that were grieving, but listening too about what they think needs to happen next in terms of the work and the action.”
Allan said the state’s machete ban, which came into effect last month, “is making an impact”.
Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush has also backed comments made by senior officer Inspector Graham Banks on Sunday that penalties for young offenders “aren’t in balance with what community expectations are, or mine”.
In an internal memo, Bush said those comments represented “what many of us think … about the penalties which are being handed down in our courts for our worst youth offenders”.
“There must be consequences for those who commit these crimes which drive fear in our community, be that a home invasion, an armed robbery or a carjacking.
“While Victoria Police will always respect the independence of the courts, I understand the frustration of members.”
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