Man dies after drive-by shooting on Brunswick Street
Investigators called the person who was with the victim to come forward and said they were also looking for a white SUV.
Meadows did not speculate on a motive for the attack but said he did not believe an open reception at the nearby police station would have prevented it.
“The two boys passing through the station do not stop. They do not try to enter the police station. They do not try to call for help. They are seen passing twice,” Meadows said.
“There was a police officer at the station at the time who heard the gunshots and immediately arrived and provided first aid and called for backup. So whether the station was open to the public or closed to the public – but still had a member there – I can’t see that it would make any difference.”
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Fitzroy Police Station was one of 43 police stations in Victoria to have reception hours reduced in 2023 due to staff shortages. It was previously a 24-hour station but its reception now closes at 21.45 from Friday to Sunday.
State Opposition Leader Jess Wilson attacked the state government’s management of police resources following Saturday’s murder.
“This is another tragic and deeply worrying incident that occurred a stone’s throw from a closed police station,” he said.
A state government spokesman responded by saying it was a decision by the police to reduce station hours and put more officers on patrol.
“The Liberals will seize every opportunity to undermine and cut Victoria Police,” they said.
Investigators taped a crime scene about 100 meters from Fitzroy Police Station in the early hours of Saturday morning as a crowd of onlookers gathered.
The scene on Saturday morning in King William Street, Fitzroy, where a man was shot dead overnight.Credit: Wayne Taylor
The victim’s family left flowers at the scene Saturday morning. Detectives were later seen going door to door at nearby properties. Volunteer clergy also came to the scene later in the morning and gave support.
An American university student who had just moved to Fitzroy but wanted to remain anonymous said he heard two gunshots before running to see what had happened.
“I saw two police officers working on a man lying on the ground. They were giving him CPR for a while.”
He said he was surprised to see how long it took for more police to arrive on the scene. “It probably took about 20 minutes for another backup to arrive,” he said.
“The cops were questioning another kid, and for a while it looked like they were questioning him. Then more people showed up. I think I’ve felt safe here so far. I’m from San Francisco, so I know the gunshot.”
Uncle Crow, a long-time Fitzroy resident, said he believed the incident was “about youth”.
“We are a close-knit community here and we will support [the family] “to the best of our ability,” he said.
He criticized the decision to include Fitzroy in the list of stations with reduced opening hours.
“Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes it’s not,” he said. “This is Melbourne’s first suburb and it’s built on violence and crime. They can’t even keep a police station open with a history like that.”
Another man who was at the scene on Saturday said: Age He has been attacked in the area in the past and has renewed calls for the police station to operate 24 hours a day. He said the popular nightlife strip should have a more visible police presence.
But Meadows emphasized that he did not believe an open reception desk would change what happened early Saturday.
“Richmond Police Station is 2.2 miles away. There is a constant police presence 24 hours a day,” he said.
“It’s not my place to comment on what resources we have and what stations we can or can’t open. But this time there was a member there and… the victim and his friend didn’t come to the station. They didn’t call for help. So it wouldn’t have made any difference.”
A Victoria Police spokesman said police continue to maintain approved reduced reception counter hours at 41 police stations across the state.
“We know that society is best served when police work in the field to detect and deter crime, rather than sitting behind a desk,” the spokesman said.
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