- Written by Tomos Morgan and Miriam Parker
- Wells reporter
Family members have revealed that the electric bike that two teenagers were riding before they were killed in a crash was an early 16th birthday gift.
Aunt Harvey Evans, 15, said the teenager loves scooters and e-scooters, and the gift was bought for his birthday next month.
Harvey and Chris Sullivan, 16, died on Monday evening in Ely, Cardiff.
The deaths sparked riots in which cars were set on fire and police officers attacked.
Speaking for the first time since the incident, Hayley Murphy, Harvey’s aunt, told the BBC after the vigil: “It is still unreal that we are here for Harvey and Keris.
“We’re watching all these news articles, and then his picture comes up, and you’re like, oh yeah, that’s my nephew, this happened to us.
“This is our family, not someone else’s family you see on TV—it just doesn’t look real, and it hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Dawn Reese, Harvey’s grandmother, said Harvey and Keris “did everything together, they loved each other like brothers.”
“[Kyrees] It was beautiful. If I needed milk he would go to the store for me, always asking if I needed anything. handsome boy “.
The friends were killed in a crash while riding the electric bike shortly after 18:00 GMT on Monday. Police said that only the bicycle was involved in the fatal accident.
Murphy said Harvey loved motorcycles and was an experienced rider.
“His dad used to take him off the road and mountain biking every week since he was three.”
She also described how angry scenes began to develop in the aftermath of the incident, after a video emerged showing police following the boys on a bike.
She said she and her sister, Harvey’s mother, stood at the police roadblock for more than two hours while begging the officers to let them know if the boys were alive.
“We stood at the checkpoint and we were begging them, begging them, to tell us if they were alive or dead, and they didn’t tell us anything – and then someone ran into the crowd and said ‘I’ve got a video of the police chasing them and that’s what started it.
“That’s what pissed everyone off, so I understand because we didn’t get any answers.”
Some residents alleged that the boys were chased away by South Wales Police, which the force denied.
Police said the officers were in a truck about a half mile from the Snowden Road crash in Ely.
The force has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) for its involvement in the incident.
News of the boys’ deaths sparked riots in the town of Ely, on Cardiff’s west side about five miles (8 km) from the city centre, with more than 100 people hurling rockets and fireworks at police and damaging property.
Nine people were arrested in total in connection with the disorder after a police investigation looked into more than 180 pieces of body-worn footage. Investigators said more arrests are expected.
Murphy added that she did not and did not trust the police.
“I have faith and trust in my family and this community that we will continue to fight and get the truth out there and get justice for these boys.”
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