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The police commissioner’s comments about the death of 15-year-old Cassius Turvey have been criticized by members of the public as “appalling”.
Police say the Noongar teenager and a group of friends were approached by 21-year-old Jack Brearley as they walked home from school in Middle Swan, Perth, on October 13.
Brearley, who has been charged with murder, got out of the passenger seat of a black Ford Ranger before allegedly beating the boy in school uniform with a metal pole, which left him hospitalized with serious injuries.
Eight days later he died.
While police investigate a motive, one of Western Australia’s police commissioner, Colonel Blanch’s comments to the media has been called into question.
Commissioner Blanch told 6PR “[Police are] not guided by any principles of racism or motivation at this point, other than to say that we believe there was an incident of damage that resulted in the killing of a very young boy.”
“It could be a case of mistaken identity, it could be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I wouldn’t want anyone in the community to jump to conclusions right now.
“We’re still collecting evidence, we’re still looking for new witnesses.”
“Wrong place at the wrong time” comments cause a negative reaction
Author, speaker and activist Carly Findlay criticized Commissioner Blanch’s comments as inappropriate.
“Police Commissioner’s attitude appalling,” she wrote on Twitter. “Does this mean that the man who killed Cassius was in the right place at the right time? Cassius had to be safe to go home.’
Yorta Yorta’s husband and rapper, Adam Briggs, also known as Senator Briggs, also expressed his grief online.
“I can’t explain how angry this makes me,” he said of the police officer’s comments on Twitter.
“It’s too easy to make the ‘what if it was a white kid?'” comparison. I’m tired of equating our humanity with white people.”
“I am constantly told that we are getting better: ‘Things are getting better, they are talking about problems.’ Is it so? Sounds like you’re chatting at the table while the house is on fire. I’m looking for actions, not words.”
In a statement to Yahoo News Australia, Commissioner Blanch confirmed that “at this stage it appears that Cassius was an innocent victim of a violent attack”.
“He was just hanging out with his friends when he was attacked.
“I urge members of the community to refrain from unfounded speculation regarding this tragic death of a young man who was a much-loved family member and friend.”
Police also said the accused’s car had been damaged the day before the attack with a viscous substance, in which Mr Turvey’s family denied he was responsible.
Cassius’ death is mourned by family and community
The GoFundMe was set up to cover Mr Turvey’s “funeral, criminal compensation and justice costs”, raising more than $270,000 of the $250,000 target.
The family also noted that they “buried his father just a month ago after he lost his battle with cancer.”
Indigenous senator Lydia Thorpe paid tribute to Mr Turvey in Parliament, describing him as “a beloved member of the Noongar community who ran his own lawn mowing business and let the community decide how much they could pay him”.
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