Who is Lauie Tagaloa? All about the stab victim
Lauie Michael Tagaloa died of a knife stabbing at the Valley Metro near the Fortitude Valley train station on 11th July 2022 in Brisbane, Australia. The death went viral on the internet as netizens shared a video of Lauie’s stabbing. The video is quite graphic, as @BarlowDogsworth on Twitter warns:
“If any of you see a video about Laurie Tagaloa please, do not watch it. It is awful, it is heartbreaking and it is incredibly graphic. My heart goes out to him and his family, absolutely horrific.”
It shows Lauie getting into an altercation before stepping back and falling over while losing blood from his neck.
Lauie was stabbed to death reportedly by a suspect named Seyram Kwami Djentuh
According to CCTV footage of the stabbing and the moments leading up to it, two groups of men are seen shouting at each other at the Metro food court.
The clip shows one of the two groups trying to de-escalate the situation by walking away. Before they do so, however, a brawl begins, with one man wielding what appears to be a small knife.
A few moments later, Lauie falls back onto a pool of his blood. A witness attempts to perform first aid on the rapidly bleeding out Lauie but fails to save him. Paramedics arrive several minutes later and pronounce him dead at the scene. Queensland Police inspector Sean Cryer said:
“Police were observing the Brisbane City Council CCTV system when they observed a disturbance taking place in the public. On closer examination, they saw a male person lying on the ground and persons nearby had blood on them.”
Lauie’s friends reportedly remained at the scene for hours after his death. His family also came to the scene. “They are obviously distressed,” Inspector Cryer added.
Police arrested three men at Fortitude Valley train station and recovered a weapon at the scene. They charged Seryam Kwami Djentuh with Lauie Tagaloa’s murder. His case was mentioned in the Magistrate Court, but he didn’t appear in person or apply for bail. The court will listen to the matter again on 8th August 2022.
Authorities released two men who helped them investigate the death.
A friend has started a GoFundMe campaign to support Tagaloa’s family
Lauie’s Facebook page shows he loved the outdoors and spending time with his friends. Some publications state he was a father, but we’ve found no evidence to support that claim.
One of his friends, Jordyn Cooper, has started a GoFundMe campaign to support Tagaloa’s family. Cooper writes:
“He was such a kind-hearted person who cared for everyone but himself. He never discussed any of this. I’m making this GoFundMe to support Lauie’s family through such a terrible time. Any money raised will be handed straight to them.”
Netizens have sent tributes via social media, with most of Tagaloa’s Facebook page featuring condolence messages in the comments sections. One of the tribute messages quoted by news.com.au reads:
“This is one of the hardest goodbyes I’ll have to say, I can’t believe I’m even writing this and I can’t even put into words how I’m feeling right now. You had my back since the day I met you, you were one person I could always rely on to be there for me no matter where or when, you’ve helped me and saved me so many times.”
