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<\/p>\nAkueng said he was at work when he found out two children had been killed in Cobblebank. When he frantically called his son\u2019s phone, there was no answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m talking on behalf of my community \u2013 this is happening to us. In the last month, we have buried four kids, similar incidents keep happening, but there\u2019s no answer from police,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need answers for my son. My son is just gone like this \u2013 he was a basketball player, not a criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Akueng, who works as a security guard, said he was dismayed by the lack of police action after incidents of teens wielding knives and machetes in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI protect people where I work, but no one protects my family at home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On Sunday morning, rain slowly beat down on the quiet housing development where the two boys were killed. A large pool of dried blood could still be seen on the chip bark beside Marble Drive, where the 12-year-old was slain.<\/p>\n
Neighbour Christopher McFarlane was having a games night with friends when his dog started growling at loud noises outside the home.<\/p>\n
Looking out the front window, he could see around eight people wearing ski masks getting into a large SUV, all brandishing machetes and long knives.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just feeling pure terror, wondering like, \u2018What are they going to do?\u2019 You have no idea in that moment what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
McFarlane called the police after the group left, but then heard the desperate screams of a neighbour calling for help as someone had been \u201cbashed\u201d in the front yard.<\/p>\n
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The suburban street where a teenage boy was killed in Cobblebank.Credit: The Age <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d gone out there to have a look, but we could see the guy was just not moving at all, and his hand was completely severed from his arm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just devastating, stuff like this doesn\u2019t happen here, it\u2019s a good area. I feel sorry for the parents and what they\u2019re going through right now \u2026 it is a horrible thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aboil Alor, a friend of the Akueng family, spoke through tears as she remembered the kind boy whom she would drop off at home after basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a very good child, and he deserves better,\u201d she said. \u201cWhere are the police?\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Devastated family friend, Aboil Alor, at the scene of Dau Akueng\u2019s death.Credit: The Age<\/p>\n
In CCTV of the incident seen by this masthead, a group of three people clad in dark clothing can be seen chasing another person, before he falls to the ground at the corner of Marble Drive.<\/p>\n
The trio can then be seen attacking the figure as he struggles on the ground. The attackers then run off as the victim screams and attempts to get up.<\/p>\n
A minute later, a young woman comes to the boy\u2019s assistance and attempts to flag down passing cars using the flashlight on her phone.<\/p>\n
Jatinder Singh, who lives near where the 12-year-old boy was slain, said she and her children were too scared to step out of their home on Sunday after the \u201cdevastating\u201d incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very shocking, [my children] would not sleep on their own last night,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s usually quite a safe neighbourhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Singh said she felt \u201cscared\u201d as the parent of a 12-year-old boy, because she wouldn\u2019t know who he would be mixing with when he begins high school next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre they going to be in good company? Nobody\u2019s parents want their kids to be like that, going and killing people in the streets,\u201d she said. \u201cThere needs to be more punishment for [the perpetrators], they should go to jail. They don\u2019t believe in this community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Inspector Graham Banks said the fatal incidents were linked to the same offenders. He said witnesses and CCTV vision indicated that a large group of male offenders who appeared to be wearing masks was involved.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Young basketballer Dau Akueng, who was killed in Cobblebank on Saturday.<\/p>\n
They fled in a car that police had not yet identified on Sunday afternoon. Police are looking for up to eight offenders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhilst the investigation is in its early stage, it has the hallmarks of a youth gang crime,\u201d Banks said. \u201cIt is one of the most horrific crimes in a substantial and growing list of crimes of this nature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police believe the children killed were not gang members. Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward, including anyone with dashcam footage of the incidents.<\/p>\n
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Banks said it was not clear what motivated the attacks, but he said it was possibly a case of mistaken identity.<\/p>\n
Dau was lovingly remembered by the Collingwood Basketball Association, where he played at representative level in the Victorian Junior Basketball League.<\/p>\n
\u201cDau played in the same age group as my son and I have had him in my car many times this season, he was a much-loved member of our club and community,\u201d Collingwood Basketball Association general manager Trent Pearson said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a highly talented player and referee with a cheerful personality who touched all those he interacted with over many years.<\/p>\n
\u201cDau had a smile and confidence that were infectious and his love for basketball and being around his friends will be sorely missed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a club we are devastated by his passing. I\u2019ve spoken today to the family and our focus now, is supporting them and our club members in coming to terms with the tragic loss of a beautiful young man.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deaths come after bins were recently installed around the state for people to surrender machetes and large blades, which are now banned.<\/p>\n