A Burmese teenager has been killed and two others wounded after up to 40 African youths with machetes rampaged through a notoriously violent suburb in Melbourne’s west.
The alleged victim, named Konshu, 18, was fatally stabbed in Kurunjang, near the notorious African crime hotspot of Melton, just after 7pm on Friday night.
Victoria Police said on Sunday a 15-year-old male has been charged with murder and will face a children’s court at a later date.
On Saturday police alleged up to 40 youths were involved in the brawl, which also allegedly left a 22-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy in hospital, but did not release descriptions of the alleged attackers.
But residents in multiple local social media groups said teenagers of African appearance were involved.
“There are 40 Africans with machetes on the run in Harkness/Kurunjang, they have just killed someone that is what all the sirens and chopper are out for started along McBurnie Drive,” read one post on Facebook, with multiple witnesses in the replies confirming the details were correct.
Police said they believe the incident was targeted and the people involved were known to each other.
“Through the sheer volume of people and the inquiries that are ongoing, we don’t have specifics of who these people are or any affiliations,” North West Metro Region Acting Superintendent Kelly Walker said.
“Initial inquiries are all with the investigators in relation to any affiliations. It wasn’t just a random attack. We’ve got large groups, we do have weapons that were reported at the scene, it does provide unrest for the community.”
Crime in Melton is up 22% this year, while in Victoria as a whole youth crime is up 16.9%, and overall crime is up 13.4%, according to data released last week. One in three child offenders are repeat offenders who are involved in two or more criminal incidents.
Earlier this month another teenager was allegedly stabbed by an African gang in Darley, west of Melton, while in September 16-year-old Oscar Hamilton was allegedly stabbed to death at Melton’s Woodgrove Shopping Centre.
That alleged stabbing comes after an alleged machete attack at a train station in Melton South a week earlier, where an African male was arrested after allegedly fleeing the scene through a backyard.
In May, a gang of 15 Sudanese girls bashed a Year 7 girl at nearby Melton Secondary College, leaving her in a serious condition in hospital, while in April terrified families were forced to evacuate a food court at Woodgrove when teenagers attacked each other with axes and machetes.
Header image: Left, police at the scene (Nine News). Right, teens caught on CCTV nearby (7News). Inset, a post about the incident in a community group (Facebook).
