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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Adeshola Ore, Benita Kolovos and Nino Bucci

‘Too scared to go anywhere’: fear and anger as community reels from brutal killing of two boys in Melbourne’s west

A composite image of Dau Akueng and Chol Achiek
Dau Akueng, 15, (left) and Chol Achiek, 12, were attacked and killed by a group armed with machetes in Cobblebank while returning home from a basketball game in what police say may have been a case of mistaken identity. Composite: Gofundme/

Dau Akueng’s friends are on edge. Terry Koumides, who first met Dau in 2020 through a youth basketball program, says he escorted three of Dau’s friends this week to buy suits for his funeral. All three teenagers feared stepping into busy shopping centres after the brutal murder of 15-year-old Dau last week.

“They’re too scared to go anywhere,” said Koumides. “These populated areas have now been deemed unsafe.”

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