Parents at radicalised teenager’s high school raised concerns with police

Parents at a school attended by the radicalised teenager, who was shot dead by police after stabbing a man, had previously raised concerns with police.

Parents at the high school attended by the radicalised teenager who was shot dead by police after stabbing a man in a Bunnings carpark had reportedly raised concerns about him with WA Police.

The 16-year-old boy was shot dead by police on Saturday night after he stabbed a man, aged in his 30s, in the back at the Willetton Bunnings carpark, in Perth’s south.

Police shot the boy after he ran towards officers with a knife and tasers were not successful.

Parents of a student at Rossmoyne Senior High School sent a letter about the boy, dated April 3, to police.

In the letter published by The West Australian, the parents claimed there were messages on their child’s phone that “contained information about conversion to Islamic religion inducing fear to world end, targeting other students for conversion”.

The parents also claimed they had previously reported to the school that their child had been forced to attend the school’s prayer room, “which he declined”.

They said they were worried for their child and family’s safety.

The man was stabbed in the Bunnings carpark. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Philip Gostelow

On Wednesday, Education Department director-general Lisa Rogers said the boy had been suspended from school for several days after an altercation with another student last week.

The Education Department also confirmed this week that the boy had been involved in an incident in 2022 involving a small explosion in an empty toilet stall after the boy and two other students threw a lithium battery into a toilet.

Nobody was harmed in the incident and no major damage was caused to the school.

Ms Rogers said the boy had been charged and given a juvenile caution and that the school had referred him to the federal police.

The boy was then enrolled into a Countering Violent Extremism program.

When NCA NewsWire asked about the letter, WA Police declined to comment.

The victim, who does not want to be identified, remains at Royal Perth Hospital.

“I am currently coming to terms with my injuries and the circumstances surrounding the events of Saturday evening,” he said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

“I would like to thank the first responders who attended the scene, the staff at Royal Perth Hospital for the treatment that I have received, and the community for their support.

“This is very difficult time for everyone involved, and I ask that I now be afforded privacy as I recover from my physical injuries and the emotional toll that this has place on me.”