MELBOURNE – Police in the Australian city of Melbourne are investigating the fatal stabbing of two boys of South Sudanese origin in what is believed to be a gang attack, on Saturday night.
Dau Akueng, 15, and Chol Achiek, 12, were walking from a bus stop in Cobblebank with a third friend just before 8pm when they were set upon by up to eight masked people, 9News reported.
The pair were found critically injured on the street about 200 metres apart in what police have described as having “the hallmarks of a youth gang crime”.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Cooperation (ABC), emergency services found the 12-year-old Achiek with critical injuries and tried to revive him but he died at the scene.
A short time later, police found 15-year-old Akueng seriously injured nearby on Cobble Street. He also died at the scene.
Elbino Akueng, the father of 15-year-old Dau, said he rushed back from work after hearing about the stabbing from his daughter.
He said he was kept in the dark by police until the early hours of Sunday, despite repeatedly asking about his son.
“This is a basketball player, he’s not a criminal. I said to police, I said to detectives, I need answers for what killed my son,” he told ABC
He said despite the local basketball stadium where Dau played being just a short walk away, his son could not make it home safely.
Mr Akueng made a public plea, saying multiple tragedies had rocked the community.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Police believe fatal attacks may have been a case of mistaken identity.