A 15-year-old boy has died after being found with suspected stab wounds outside Craigieburn Community Hospital, triggering a Homicide Squad investigation and renewed pressure on the Allan Government over violent youth crime.
The teenager, Darweish Mohamed from Mickleham, was found critically injured in the car park of the Lygon Drive hospital just before 8 pm on Wednesday. Medical staff and emergency responders attempted CPR, but he died at the scene.
Victoria Police later arrested a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man in Pascoe Vale about 5.30 am on Thursday. They are expected to be interviewed by Homicide Squad detectives, with no charges confirmed at the time of publication.
Police have established a crime scene and are investigating whether the teenager was attacked at the hospital or taken there after being injured elsewhere. CCTV from the area is expected to form a key part of the investigation.
Northern Health confirmed a staff member found the young man in the hospital car park with serious injuries and said support was being provided to staff involved in the traumatic incident. The health service said its thoughts were with the teenager’s family and loved ones.
Tributes have begun appearing online and near the scene, with friends remembering the teenager as a young life taken far too soon. Flowers and a photograph were left near the hospital entrance as the Craigieburn community absorbed another violent death involving a child.
The fatal stabbing has again exposed Victoria’s growing anxiety over knife crime, youth violence and public safety, particularly in Melbourne’s outer suburbs.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the death was devastating for the boy’s family and argued Victorians were increasingly fearful of knife and machete violence.
Liberal MP Evan Mulholland also criticised the Allan Government, pointing to reduced hours at Craigieburn Police Station and claiming prohibited weapons offences had risen sharply in Hume.
The killing comes as Victoria Police has been running expanded patrols at major shopping centres during the school holidays under Operation Pulse, a crackdown targeting youth violence, theft and weapon possession.
Police say the operation has removed 215 weapons from shopping centres since December and led to more than 1,400 arrests.
Victoria has also faced sustained scrutiny over machete and knife crime, despite the government’s machete ban and weapon surrender program. Reports last year showed police had seized thousands of edged weapons across the state, while public concern continued to grow after a series of high-profile youth violence incidents.
For Craigieburn, the latest killing is not just another police incident. It is the death of a school-aged boy outside a hospital, in a suburb where residents are already questioning whether enough is being done to keep young people safe.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV, dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online.
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