A delivery driver who was stabbed to death in Melbourne’s CBD has been identified as a kind and warm-hearted father of two children.
Victoria Police say two men were stabbed, one fatally, after an alleged altercation over food delivery bikes. A third man has been arrested.
A delivery driver who was declared dead at the scene has been identified as Feng Jianming, 47.
The shocking incident unfolded at Frederick Way, near Queen Victoria Market on Friday evening.
The Herald Sun reported Mr Jianming was a Hungry Panda delivery driver collecting an order from a Chinese restaurant when he was attacked.
His friend Catherine Wang told the newspaper Mr Jianming was “incredibly kind, warm-hearted and patient.”
“He took his work very seriously, and everyone who met him could easily become his friend,” she said.
“His wife and child stayed back in China, while he built his life overseas alone. What happened yesterday has filled our hearts with deep sorrow.”
A second man, a 34-year-old, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, where he continues to be treated.
Mr Jianming’s wife Xu told 7News her husband came to Australia to earn money for a few years to support their elderly parents and young children.
He planned on returning to China when their son got married.
“He was the main breadwinner in our family. Now that he’s gone, we don’t know what to do,” she said.
Hungry Panda have been contacted for comment, but told media it was a tragic incident and they were deeply saddened by the news.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the deceased, as well as to his family and loved ones,” a statement said.
The Melbourne Chinatown Business Association (MCBA) has started a fundraiser for Mr Jianming’s family on GoFundMe.
“A hardworking father. A loving husband. A familiar face in Melbourne’s Chinatown. A life tragically taken,” an organiser said.
According to the MCBA, Mr Jianming came from a small village in Saanxi Province in Ching about 2017 and left his wife and children behind to work and support his family.
He worked tirelessly for years as a food delivery driver in Melbourne’s CBD and was a familiar and much-loved face among local businesses, restaurant owners and fellow riders.
Colleagues told MCBA that Mr Jianming rarely spent money on himself and everything he earnt supported his family in China, who were now trying to arrange urgent travel to Melbourne.
“He wasn’t chasing luxury or an extravagant lifestyle. He was simply a hardworking man trying to give his family a better future,” a statement said.
“No family should have to experience this, especially when their loved one was simply trying to earn an honest living.
“We cannot bring Brother Feng back, but together, we can help ease the burden on the family he worked so hard to support.”
Police, on Saturday, shed new light on how the devastating scene unfolded.
“Detectives understand two men, believed to be food delivery riders, observed another man tampering with their bikes, located on Frederick Way,” a Victoria Police statement reads.
“The two men confronted the male, not believed to be known to them, when an altercation occurred between the three, about 8.10pm.
“Emergency services were then called to Frederick Way where a man, believed to be one of the food delivery riders, was located with suspected stab wounds.”
CPR was carried out, but the man died at the scene.
On Saturday morning, a 51-year-old man from Footscray was arrested in the inner city suburb.
He remains in custody and is being questioned by officers.
Footage circulating on social media shows a man wearing high-vis and a bicycle helmet slumped against a wall while he is assisted by another man.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said investigators were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
A candlelit vigil, organised on a Chinese-language social media platform, is expected to be held at 8.30pm outside the State Library.
Read related topics:Melbourne