The nephew of a good Samaritan who died after taking on a group of youths has slammed Victoria’s youth crime laws as weak.
Hung Truong joined hundreds of community members who rallied on Sunday demanding change after the death of 60-year-old Van Viet Truong.
More than 100 people are expected to gather in honour of Van Viet Truong. 9News
The grocery shop owner died after confronting a group of teens accused of stealing from a clothes shop in the suburb of Sunshine a week ago.
Two 14-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy have been charged with assault-related offences. All three were granted bail.
Members of the Sunshine Vietnamese community at a memorial for local businessman and Melbourne man Truong Van Viet. Chris Hopkins
A 13-year-old boy who was initially arrested has since had his charges withdrawn.
A 15-year-old boy remains before the courts after his charge was upgraded to manslaughter.
Nephew Hung Truong said he was “sick and tired of this government”, which he described as “weak”, calling for the new “adult time for adult crime” laws to be properly enforced.
“Now my aunty has no husband. My cousins have no father. Manslaughter, what the hell,” he said.
Hung Truong joined hundreds of locals in Melbourne who rallied demanding change after a good samaritan’s death. Nine
The 60-year-old died after confronting alleged shoplifters. 9News
He said his uncle was “very, very friendly and will be missed dearly.”
State Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the “number one job” of any government was to keep its community safe.
“That has not happened in the last decade under this Labor government,” she said.
A vigil was held for Truong.
Thousands of angry residents attended a rally demanding stronger laws and justice, after a Sunshine man Truong Van Viet was killed in Melbourne. Chris Hopkins
Phong Nguyen from the Australian Vietnamese Council said people wanted to “pay respect to a man who sacrificed his life for his fellow human beings”.
“Like all heroes, we don’t know them until their act of heroism and that’s the sad thing,” he said.
While locals in Melbourne’s west have welcomed the bolstered police presence many say it’s a knee-jerk reaction and fear it’ll only be a matter of time before something like this happens again.