Fifth victim of driving rampage dies
A fifth person died in hospital a day after a man with a history of mental health and drug issues drove a car through a lunch-time crowd in a pedestrian-only street in Australia.
A 3-month-old boy died in hospital late on Saturday and four people remained hospitalised in a critical condition after a stolen sedan caused havoc in downtown Melbourne on Friday, a police statement said.
The driver, Dimitrious Gargasoulas, 26, remained in hospital after being shot in the arm by police who captured him at the scene. His wound was not life-threatening.
The Government donated A$100,000 to a new victims’ fund.
The incident comes amid global concern over extremists using vehicles to strike crowds, following truck attacks in Berlin and Nice, France, last year. Police said the Bourke Street incident had no links to terrorism.
Police had been looking for Gargasoulas since he stabbed his brother on Friday. The brother was critically injured.
A 10-year-old girl, 25-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman died at the scene. A 33-year-old man died in hospital on Friday night.
A woman whose child was in the same class as the young girl struggled to comprehend the tragedy. “It hurt before I knew who it was but when I heard who it was, it hit even harder,” the woman told news.com.au.