Seven arrested and charged with manslaughter in Melbourne park stabbing

On 20 January, 24-year-old Lino Atem was stabbed during an altercation at Haines Drive Reserve in Wyndham Vale, Melbourne, and died at the scene despite emergency treatment. Police arrived at about 11.30 pm after reports of fighting and found Atem’s two friends with non-life-threatening injuries. In March, a broader probe led to 13 arrests, including six boys, who were later released without charge.

On Wednesday morning, authorities executed a series of warrants across Melbourne’s western and northern suburbs, detaining four men and three teenage boys and charging them with manslaughter. All seven are scheduled to appear in court later that day. The tragedy echoes a previous loss for the family, when Atem’s brother, Atem Atem, was shot dead in the family garage in February 2023, though investigators see no link between the two deaths.