Police have at present spoken of the “tragic occasion involving two very younger individuals” after a deadly stabbing at a Dunedin bus hub yesterday.
A 13-year-old boy appeared in courtroom this morning charged with homicide after a 16-year-old boy died within the incident close to the central Dunedin police station.
This afternoon, Otago Coastal Space Commander Inspector Marty Grey spoke at a press convention in Dunedin.
“This was a tragic occasion involving two very younger individuals,” he stated.
“Our ideas are with the household and buddies of the 16-year-old who died yesterday.”
Police are nonetheless working to find out the circumstances, and so he’s restricted in what he can say.
Grey stated he was unable to remark if the pair have been recognized to one another.
Police have been on the scene inside one minute paying medical help to the sufferer and apprehending the offender.
The sufferer suffered one stab wound, so far as he was conscious.
He stated there have been no hyperlinks to gang exercise.
“We all know delinquent behaviour has been on the bus hub,” Grey stated.
Police have been working with a variety of companions to restrict a few of that exercise, together with the set up of CCTV.
He stated police have been working onerous to stop such a offending, and the had seen a lower in incident equivalent to this occurring.
Safety employees have been working on the scene yesterday and rapidly intervened, he stated.
No different individuals have been prone to be charged, Grey stated.
“Dunedin metropolis shouldn’t be dissimilar to complete lot of different metropolis’s in New Zealand the place we’ve got a convergence of lots of people in a single space at related instances.”
Police have gathered some proof, together with footage that has come forth.
Grey stated police have been all the time adjusting priorities and transferring to the place demand is.
“That is no completely different,” he stated.
“We all know by the very nature of it that this crime is remoted. We don’t have incidents like this occurring on daily basis.”
He stated anti-social behaviour was widespread on the bus hub, like bullying and teasing.
Police normally have patrols within the space, however sadly, they weren’t there at the moment within the day, he stated.
Youth seems in courtroom
The accused appeared within the Dunedin Youth Court docket earlier than Decide Michael Turner this morning.
He has been remanded into the custody of the chief govt of Oranga Tamariki till an look earlier than the Excessive Court docket at Dunedin on June 11.
He has computerized identify suppression.
The 16-year-old was handled by ambulance employees and police after the incident shortly after 3pm on Thursday.
The incident occurred on the Dunedin bus hub, on Nice King St within the centre metropolis, the place a whole lot of faculty pupils have been gathered for after-school transit.
The sufferer was taken to hospital in a severe situation and died that night, police confirmed in a press release shortly after 8pm.
Police are asking witnesses or anybody with info to supply movies and photographs of the incident.
They’ve arrange a safe portal permitting individuals to add footage or footage anonymously. This may be accessed by going to https://tolerance.nc3.govt.nz/
“That is an extremely tragic state of affairs for all concerned and we’re working to assist the sufferer’s household, who’re understandably distraught on the sudden and violent lack of their cherished one,” Detective Senior Sergeant Kallum Croudis stated.
“We’re conscious that individuals within the space across the bus hub on Nice King St could have photographs or video footage of the incident.”
Police have requested anybody with photographs or movies, or anybody who witnessed the incident, to contact Dunedin police through 105, quoting file quantity 240523/3321.
On the time of the incident, a bunch of younger individuals have been on the scene talking to police. Some have been in tears.
A witness informed the Herald they noticed a combat and was later informed that somebody had been stabbed.
Teams of individuals have been taken to the police station. Youths have been heard talking a couple of video of the incident circulating on-line.
A spokesperson for Hato Hone St John stated it was notified at 3.08pm on Thursday and responded with one ambulance and one supervisor.
Police have been working to determine the circumstances main as much as the incident. They confirmed a knife had been recovered from the scene.
A number of inquiries are underneath approach and a autopsy is anticipated to be carried out at present.
Police stated they have been working with Sufferer Help to assist the sufferer’s household at this extraordinarily tough time.
Otago Regional Council chairwoman Gretchen Robertson stated the bus hub was open and, other than a diversion for Bus Cease B, it was protected for the general public to make use of.
“We acknowledge it is a severe incident and tragedy, and that it impacts individuals’s belief and confidence. We proceed to induce individuals to have faith within the security of our bus system; nevertheless, acknowledge horrible incidents such because the lack of a teenager does affect on individuals and we’ll work onerous to deal with that.”
Robertson stated council employees would revisit safety necessities alongside Dunedin Metropolis Council and police.
Otago Coastal Space Commander Inspector Marty Grey stated police had elevated patrols round Nice King St.
“Police have elevated our foot and automobile patrols within the space specializing in peak instances to make sure excessive visibility of law enforcement officials.
“The incident yesterday was a tragedy and our hearts exit to the sufferer and his household.
“Police have been conscious of anti-social behaviour on the bus hub for a while and have been working carefully with the Dunedin Metropolis Council, Otago Regional Council and different companions to deal with this challenge.”
Police stated they may not remark additional, because the case was now earlier than the courts.
The joint Dunedin Pupil Council presidents stated security on the bus hub had lengthy been a problem.
“The assault within the bus hub yesterday afternoon was extremely tragic. Our hearts exit to the household of the sufferer. We should acknowledge that we have to do higher to maintain our younger individuals protected. No pupil ought to be unsafe on their method to or from college … we’d like motion now,” they stated in a press release.
Battle on the Dunedin bus hub
The incident is the newest in a string of assaults on the Dunedin bus hub because it opened in 2019.
In 2022, a Dunedin man was arrested after he attacked a pedestrian and punched an 83-year-old man within the face exterior the central police station.
The 45-year-old pushed a 63-year-old man into the road of the Nice King St bus hub on October 26, 2022, earlier than straddling the sufferer and repeatedly punching him within the head, in addition to inflicting kicks to the torso.
When an 83-year-old bystander tried to intervene, the offender punched him within the head.
In November final 12 months, a person was punched and kicked by a drunk in a racially motivated assault on the bus hub.
Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, primarily based in Dunedin.
