Girlfriend’s desperate plea over the terrifying machete gang culture in Melbourne’s suburbs as teenage boy is allegedly stabbed to death at a shopping centre

The girlfriend of a 16-year-old boy allegedly stabbed to death in a busy shopping mall has called on her peers to “stop carrying guns.”

Briannan Hibbert updated her Instagram bio to add the message following the death of her friend Oscar Hamilton on Tuesday.

Oscar Hamilton was allegedly stabbed in the open-air food court of the Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Melton West, Melbourne’s west, just before noon.

Emergency services performed CPR, but despite their efforts he died at the scene.

A 15-year-old boy from Melton West was arrested later on Tuesday and spent the night being questioned by detectives.

He has since been charged with one count of murder.

Police say the boy and Oscar knew each other, but stress no links have been established to youth gangs in the western suburbs.

Photos on Instagram show some of Oscar’s friends posing with giant machetes.

Others reposted the hashtags “#stopyouthcrime #stopyouthknifecrime #knivesdown” on their Instagram Stories.

Oscar’s friends also shared his girlfriend’s plea to “stop carrying guns” in their own Instagram bios.

Mrs Hibbert has set up a public Facebook group in memory of Oscar, whom she described as “a beautiful soul who I am lucky enough to call my boyfriend”.

“It was never meant to end this way, but I guess heaven needed you more than it needed us,” she continued.

“No one will ever get over this. You filled everyone’s life with so much light and joy. You never failed to put a smile on faces.

‘Life will never be the same without you. My heart will always ache knowing you’re gone.

“I will never forgive whoever did this to you. We are going to get you justice, don’t worry.

“Everyone was so lucky to have you in their lives. This world was too cruel for your beautiful soul.”

Oscar’s mother reportedly dropped him off at the shopping centre, where he was allegedly stabbed ‘several times’ outside La Porchetta, in front of school lunches during the school holidays.

Police said Oscar’s mother helped investigators, who have since obtained CCTV footage of the alleged murder.

Reportedly, the weapon allegedly used has not yet been recovered by police.

Oscar’s father, Steven Hamilton, issued a statement to The Age on behalf of the family, saying his family’s world had “fallen apart”.

“Broken to pieces by a senseless act that ended the life of our son and brother Oscar,” the statement said.

“His loss has left a gaping hole in our hearts and our grief knows no bounds. We ask for the space and privacy to navigate this incredibly difficult time.”

Oscar’s killer appeared in court on Wednesday and was filmed wiping away tears.

No details of the alleged offence were read out in court. The 15-year-old was remanded in custody in January.

His lawyer told the magistrate that it was the first time the 15-year-old had been in custody and that he needed to be assessed by a nurse. He did not apply for bail.

The incident occurred days after a local resident warned shoppers of possible “gang problems” at the mall.

“I heard there may be some gang trouble in Woodgrove this weekend,” the woman wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

‘Hopefully that’s not true… Be aware of your surroundings.’