Seven arrested in 'senseless' killing of two Australian children
Australian police executed warrants Friday morning, arresting seven teenagers in connection with the stabbing deaths of two children earlier this month in a Melbourne suburb.
Sept. 19 (UPI) -- Australian police executed warrants Friday morning, arresting seven teenagers in connection with the stabbing deaths of two children earlier this month in a Melbourne suburb.
The seven males range between the ages of 15 and 19, Victoria Police said in a statement announcing the arrests.
Four of them, including a 19-year-old, a 15-year-old and two 16-year olds, have been charged with murder in the death of Dau Akueng, 15.
Three suspects, ages 16, 18 and 16, have been charged with murder for the death of Chol Achiek, 12.
The three adults were to face a Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday afternoon, while the four youths were to face a children's court at around the same time.
Akueng and Achiek were separately killed on the night of Sept. 6 in Cobblebank.
Authorities said emergency services were called shortly before 8 p.m. AEST, finding Achiek on Marble Street suffering from critical injuries upon arrival.
Not long after, authorities received reports of a seriously injured male on nearby Cobble Street. Akueng was found by responders and pronounced dead at the scene.
The two boys were attacked as they were on their way home from playing basketball, authorities said.
Victoria Police said it had launched "a significant investigation" to identify those responsible for the murders.
No motive has been made public.
"The word senseless has been used so many times already in relation to the deaths of Dau Akueng and Chol Achiek, because the reality is that it doesn't make sense," Assistant Commissioner Martin O'Brien of Crime Command said in a statement.
"Two children walking home after playing sport, who should have had decades of their lives ahead of them. Instead, their devastated families are grieving their loss and all the things they will never get to see these children grow up to achieve and experience."
In response to the incident, police have increased patrols in Cobblebank as part of community reassurance efforts, Victoria Police said.
