Easter Show fatal stabbing: Police to investigate potential postcode gang links after teen death

A postcode gang war may have sparked an evening brawl at the Easter Show which left one teenager dead and a second in hospital with stab wounds.

Friends of the 17-year-old victim warned his death could further escalate tensions between rival western Sydney gangs, the 67 and the 27.

Members of the two groups, 67 from Doonside and 27 from Mount Druitt, reportedly had an altercation near the adult section of the show about 8pm before it descended into an all-out brawl.

It’s unclear if the victim was involved in the reported gang activity or if he was simply caught up in the melee.

Police are yet to formally identify a suspect and believe the attacker may still be on the run.

One person, a 15-year-old boy, has been charged with affray and carrying a knife. He has not been charged relating to the victim’s death and will face a children’s court on Tuesday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy arrested at the scene was still being question by police on Tuesday morning

The victim was an attendant at the Break Dance ride at the Easter Show

‘Now a mum has to find out she lost a son. For what? An area you don’t own,’ one critic said online.

Superintendent Danielle Emerton, from the Auburn Police Area Command, would not rule out the possibility the attack was motivated by postcode wars.

Instead, she suggested it could have been a ‘planned confrontation’ between the groups.

‘We’re trying to piece it together. It’s a tragic, senseless act. This is a family event and the fact that someone has bought a knife into the show is upsetting,’ she said.

‘There were two groups involved in the affray incident where there was a knife involved. So we are looking at additional people that were involved in last night’s attack.

‘Someone knows who has done this.’

Superintendent Danielle Emerton, from the Auburn Police Area Command, would not rule out the possibility the attack was motivated by postcode wars

Detectives and forensic officers were at the carnival on Tuesday combing over the scene of the alleged crime. Police have retrieved one knife

Daily Mail Australia can reveal the victim was an employee of the carnival and had been for at least two years

The 17-year-old victim was rushed to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition but later died. He’d been stabbed in the chest while working at the show.

Paramedics were called to a busy strip inside the Sydney Royal Easter Show about 8pm amid reports of a brawl between two groups of young men.

At least two teenagers were stabbed; the victim and a 16-year-old boy who remains in hospital in a stable condition with wounds to his leg.

Police confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday morning at least one suspect remains on the run. A strike force has been established to identify any other people involved in the brawl.

Daily Mail Australia revealed on Tuesday the victim was an employee of the carnival and had been for at least two years.

The adult section of the Easter Show was closed to the public on Tuesday due to the ongoing investigation

A 17-year-old boy has tragically died after being fatally stabbed in the chest at the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Monday night (pictured, paramedics at the scene)

The victim was working the Break Dance ride inside the adult section of the carnival. The ride is near a thoroughfare which is often congested and brimming with people

He was on his break midway through his shift when he reportedly went to meet some friends, including his younger brother, who were attending the show.

Just a day before his death, the victim shared a video at work pouting at the camera with the caption: ‘When you wish ur gf worked at the Easter Show again with u’.

He was working the Break Dance ride inside the adult section of the carnival. The ride is near a thoroughfare which is often congested and brimming with people.

Friends and colleagues have described him as a ‘great guy’ who always made shifts fun.

‘Was a blessing working with you at the show,’ one friend said.

‘He had his whole life ahead of him… This never should have happened.’

While campaigning in western Sydney on Tuesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was ‘distressed’ to learn of the teen’s death.

‘I would say to the family of those who have lost their son, my heart goes out to you. Your hearts must be shattered and broken,’ he said.

‘I would be asking all parents, obviously, to be taking care and making sure their kids are doing the right thing and making sure they’re staying safe and being very aware of their surroundings.’

Footage circulated to social media showed two men brawling in the middle of the carnival.

The taller of the pair tried to send his knee into the other’s head as he was driven backwards before landing a series of punches in his abdomen.

The smaller man retaliated by driving him backwards into a set of garbage bins before the taller man was joined by another who also began to swing his fists.

Friends and colleagues have described the victim as a ‘great guy’ who always made shifts fun. Pictured with his girlfriend

Criminal psychologist explains why street violence is on the rise

Youth outreach group Junction Works confirmed Sydney’s brutal ‘postcode violence’ was now spreading across the city.

The postcode wars comprise groups of young boys and girls – usually teenagers – who are willing to risk their lives to ‘rep’ the area where they were born and raised.

Starting in the far western suburbs, vicious tribal identities based on where teenagers live are appearing throughout the city.

‘It is across all of Western Sydney that this is happening,’ a spokesman said.

‘It’s an ongoing issue. It’s mainly in the Guildford and Blacktown areas but there’s also recently been issues with violence among young people in different postcodes within the Canterbury-Bankstown area too.’

Tim Watson-Munro, a criminal psychologist, said young people have always sought a sense of belonging and community within their peer group.

But he explained this becomes dangerous when young people find ‘security in numbers’ within dysfunctional groups.

‘This leads to trouble,’ he said.

A former New South Wales detective said increased violence in lower socioeconomic communities was often due to a sense of hopelessness.

‘A high proportion of public housing, a high proportion of migrants and a high proportion of unemployment, in any city in the world that is a recipe for disaster,’ Western Sydney University Dr Mike Kennedy said.

‘The governments leave it to the police to deal with so they don’t have to accept responsibility.’

Detectives and forensic officers were at the carnival on Tuesday combing over the scene of the alleged crime. Police have retrieved one knife.

While at least three people have been identified so far, police are certain other people were involved in the melee.

Police believe the two groups of men were known to each other, assuring the public it was not a ‘random attack’.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Mark Whittaker said by the time paramedics arrived the victim was already suffering a cardiac arrest as a direct result of the chest wound.

‘Paramedics performed CPR and a number of other critical interventions at the scene before loading the patient for transport to Westmead Hospital, unfortunately despite best efforts he couldn’t be resuscitated,’ he said.

Confused show-goers were seen filing out of the Sydney Showground on Monday night as dozens of police officers cordoned off sections of the venue to continue investigations

Showgoers were moved out of the carnival area as officers established a crime scene.

The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales released a statement shortly thereafter confirming the adult carnival would be closed on Tuesday.

‘The RAS confirmed all other aspects of the show will remain open on Tuesday.

‘The RAS does not tolerate or condone any violence or anti-social behaviour and we join with NSW Police and the wider community in condemning this appalling behaviour and unnecessary loss of life.’

Any ticketholders who no longer want to attend the carnival are entitled to a full refund.

Police and paramedics were called to the Easter Show just after 8pm on Monday, with riot squad vehicles also pictured at the scene

The adult carnival section of the Royal Easter Show will be off limits to visitors on Tuesday

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk