A teenage boy has been arrested after a 16-year-old was allegedly fatally stabbed at an African crime-plagued shopping centre in Melbourne.
A argument erupted between two males known to each other at Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Melton just before noon on Tuesday before one alleged pulled out a weapon and stabbed the other.
The 16-year-old, identified as Oscar Hamilton, was given CPR by bystanders before being treated by paramedics but could not be saved.
His alleged attacker then fled the scene, and was described by police as wearing all black and carrying a backpack and headphone.
A 15-year-old boy from Melton West was then arrested and is being interviewed by homicide squad detectives.
Oscar’s girlfriend paid tribute to him on social media, saying: “Long live Oscar, forever 16”, while others described him as “lovely” and “well-mannered”.
A teenage boy has been stabbed to death in a horrific attack at a Melton West shopping centre | @SammyButler_ pic.twitter.com/dK9qfKpsR8
— 10 News First Melbourne (@10NewsFirstMelb) September 24, 2024
The alleged stabbing comes after an alleged machete attack at a train station in Melton South last week, where an African male was arrested after allegedly fleeing the scene through a backyard.
In April terrified families were forced to evacuate a food court at Woodgrove when teenagers attacked each other with axes and machetes.
In January the same shopping centre was put in lockdown when rival gangs fought with machetes and a butchers knife.
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.
Header image: Oscar Hamilton (Facebook)