By Tate Papworth
Images and CCTV footage have been released as police appeal for information relating to the death of a teenage boy in St Albans last year.
Aguer Akech, 17, died after he was assaulted in an altercation at the Keilor Plains railway station in the early hours of December 22, 2019.
The footage shows a number of males, aged possibly in their mid to late teens through to early 20s, in the vicinity of the station around the time of the incident.
Detective Inspector Tim Day said police were hopeful that by identifying the people shown in the footage, police could progress the investigation.
“At this stage we don’t know if any of the males in the CCTV were involved in the fatal stabbing,” he said.
“Because they were in the vicinity of the station at the time of the incident it’s possible that they were part of either group involved, or they may simply be valuable witnesses for our investigation.
“Either way, it’s crucial that we identify these people and speak to them.
“We are keen to hear from anyone who can identify any of the males, or alternatively, we ask any of those people shown in the footage to come forward and contact police themselves.”
Investigators believe the incident is linked to an altercation earlier that weekend at a soccer game at Green Gully Reserve during an all-day tournament.
Police have been told that two groups of African males arranged to meet at the Keilor Plains station about 11.30pm on December 21 in relation to a dispute regarding a vehicle.
About 1.20am the groups went to a property at nearby Fox Street where a verbal altercation took place.
The victim’s group was chased back to the east side carpark of the railway station where a fight broke out. Several people were armed with a variety of weapons including sticks, fence posts and knives.
Police said Aguer was one of several people who crossed a pedestrian walkway to the western side of the station near Regan Street.
Aguer collapsed on Regan Street and emergency services were called, however he died at the scene.
The males in the second group left the scene in three vehicles, including a silver 2005 Holden Commodore sedan with South Australian registration S111 AZI.
The two other vehicles are believed to be a 2010 silver Honda Accord and a 2019 white Hyundai Tucson.
Police have located the silver Commodore and it is now the subject of forensic analysis.
Ten people arrested on the night have all been released pending further inquiries.
No one has been charged in relation to the death.
Homicide Squad detectives are urging anyone who witnessed or heard any suspicious activity in the area between 11pm on Saturday, December 21 and 2am on Sunday, December 22 to come forward.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
