HEARTBREAK IN COBBLEBANK: Two young boys, 12 and 15, brutally killed in frenzied machete attack by masked gang of up to eight youths
- Tragedy strikes Melbourne’s west as two innocent boys are stabbed to death in separate streets in Cobblebank
- Youth gang suspected as police hunt for up to eight masked attackers who fled in a vehicle
- Families left devastated as 12-year-old and 15-year-old Dau Akueng are mourned by shattered community
Victorian police are chasing a gang of up to eight masked youths, believed to be members of a youth gang, who brutally stabbed to death two young boys, aged 12 and 15, in a vicious machete attack in Melbourne’s west.
The victims, including 15-year-old **Dau Akueng**, were found fatally stabbed on separate streets in Cobblebank on Saturday night, sparking widespread shock and outrage in the community.
Det Insp **Graham Banks** said the attacks had “the hallmarks of a youth gang crime” and confirmed that the group of attackers, who covered their faces with masks, were being hunted by police.
In a heartbreaking development, the 12-year-old victim was so young that police believe he was unlikely to have been a member of a gang, leaving his family and friends reeling in shock.
“It is one of the most horrific crimes in a substantial and growing list of crimes of this nature,” Det Insp Banks said. “The children who were murdered were not gang members and it is not OK to remain silent.”
The father of **Dau Akueng**, **Elbino**, spoke of his devastation, saying his son and friends were attacked while walking home from a local basketball game. “Similar incidents happening, there’s no answer from police,” he said.
An emotional friend of the Akueng family, **Aboil Alor**, demanded justice for the two young victims. “We needed justice especially for those children, 12 and 15 years old,” she said.
Police have vowed to “throw every resource” into the investigation and are urging anyone with information to come forward. The Labor minister **Lily D’Ambrosio** has also urged the community to cooperate with police, saying “we’ve had two families’ lives pulled under.”
The tragic incident has sparked calls for tougher sentences for youth criminals, with Det Insp Banks saying “the penalties aren’t in balance with what community expectations are, or mine.”
As the community mourns the loss of two young lives, the Victorian opposition leader, **Brad Battin**, has weighed in, saying “too many Victorians have been victims of crime” and “last night, two more Victorians were tragically added to that tally.”