A 19-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with murder following a violent incident at a bus interchange in Western Sydney that left one young man dead and another injured.
Fatal Night at Mount Druitt Interchange
The tragic event unfolded on the night of August 27, just after 10:10pm, opposite the Mount Druitt train station on North Parade. Emergency services discovered two 19-year-old men, Zac McRae and Vimlesh Chand, both suffering from stab wounds.
Despite the efforts of paramedics at the scene, Zac McRae succumbed to his injuries. He had sustained critical stab wounds to the chest. The second victim, Vimlesh Chand, was allegedly stabbed in the arm. He was transported to hospital in a stable condition and has since been released.
Police Investigation Leads to Arrest
Following extensive investigations by New South Wales Police, a breakthrough came in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Officers arrested a 19-year-old woman at a home in Dapto, located in the Illawarra region, at approximately 7am.
Police will allege in court that the woman drove other accused offenders to the scene of the violent confrontation. She now faces a series of serious charges, including:
- Murder
- Concealing a serious indictable offence
- Failing to disclose the identity of a driver or passenger
- Participating in a criminal group that contributed to criminal activity
The accused woman was refused bail and is scheduled to appear before the Bail Division of Local Court 3 on Wednesday.
Victim's Vulnerabilities Revealed
In the aftermath of the tragedy, more has been learned about the victim, Zac McRae. Two NDIS support workers speaking to the ABC revealed that McRae lived with significant challenges. He had intellectual disabilities, as well as oppositional defiant disorder and foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
They also disclosed that he had been experiencing homelessness, often couch surfing or living in friends' garages. One of the workers, Merna, stated that "The system failed him, and it's really sad because he is a vulnerable person, he had a disability." She described McRae as a "lonely" individual.
Speaking about the injured survivor, Vimlesh Chand, Superintendent Darrin Batchelor said the young man was "extremely lucky to survive." He detailed the severity of the injury, explaining, "He sustained a stab wound ... that went through the entirety of his arm and then penetrated his chest."
The community in Mount Druitt and Western Sydney is now grappling with the shocking loss of a young life in an act of senseless violence, as the legal process begins to unfold.
