Harvey Evans, 15, had been bought the bike as an early gift ahead of his 16th birthday next month (Picture: PA / BBC News)
One of two teenagers killed in a crash in Cardiff had been given the e-bike they were riding as a birthday present, his family have said.
Harvey Evans died alongside his best friend Kyrees Sullivan, 16, after a collision on a housing estate in Ely on Monday.
The 15-year-old had been bought the bike as an early gift ahead of his 16th birthday next month – an occasion that he will never get to celebrate.
A huge vigil was held for the pair last night with balloons, fireworks and flares set off to remember them after their deaths prompted riots amid claims police were pursuing them shortly before they died.
CCTV footage of a marked South Wales Police van following the teenagers as they rode a Sur-Ron electric bike quickly spread on social media after the incident, leading to violent clashes and disorder in Ely.
Harvey’s aunt Hayley Murphy and his grandmother Dawn Rees were at the vigil and told the BBC that his mum had stood at the police barrier for more than two hours begging to know if her son and his friend were still alive.
Ms Murphy said: ‘We were stood at the barrier and we were begging them, begging them, to tell us if they were alive or dead, and they wouldn’t tell us nothing – and then someone ran into the crowd and said “I’ve got a video of the police chasing them”, and that is what started it.
CCTV footage captured the pair riding the e-bike moments before the fatal crash (Picture: BBC News)
1,500 people turned out for a vigil in memory of Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, who were killed in the crash (Picture: PA)
‘That’s what got everyone angry, so I understand because we wasn’t getting no answers.’
Nine people have been arrested following the riots which left 15 police officers injured – and the force say they expect to make more arrests as the investigation continues.
Claims of a pursuit were initially denied by Alun Michael, the police and crime commissioner for South Wales, but the force has since confirmed a van was following Kyrees and Harvey.
Kyrees’s mum Belinda blames officers for her son’s death and she told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday: ‘The police killed my son. I’ve got nothing else to say.’
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into the circumstances.
People wore t-shirts with a picture on it of best friends Harvey and Kyrees when they were younger kids (Picture: PA)
Balloons were let off at the vigil (Picture: PA)
Remembering Harvey, the two women said he had loved e-bikes and scooters and ‘did everything’ with his pal Kyrees.
Ms Rees said: ‘They loved each other like brothers.’
Ms Murphy also voiced her lack of faith and trust in the police – sentiments which were echoed by other family members at the 1,500-strong vigil earlier that night.
John O’Driscoll, Harvey’s great uncle, said Monday’s night riot ‘was wrong’ but ‘was out of frustration’.
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He said: ‘It was because a lot of the boys get abused by the police around here and so that’s why things kicked off.’
‘They were just young boys. Everyone rides bikes and scooters around here. Yes, we find them annoying but that’s just what they do.
‘But as soon as those coppers saw they had no helmets they should’ve stopped.’
Thousands of people lined the streets on Friday night (Picture: PA)
Tributes at the scene cover an entire fence as the community mourns the loss of the two youngsters (Picture: PA)
Speaking at the vigil, another of Harvey’s uncles said: ‘We’re all tarred with the same brush here, especially given what happened on Monday.
‘But this is the true Ely. Look how many people have turned out to pay their respects. The only difference between Monday and today is that the police aren’t here.’
It was understood the police had been asked not to attend.
Many of those gathered held blue balloons and wore white T-shirts adorned with pictures of Kyrees and Harvey, while others stood silently in tears.
A moment of silence was held before the crowd broke out in applause.
Harvey Evans (left) and Kyrees Sullivan (right) were best friends (Picture: Instagram)
Since Monday, hundreds of floral tributes and messages have been left at the scene of the accident in Snowden Road.
Earlier, the IOPC appealed for witnesses who may have seen the moments before the crash.
It said the investigation was examining the ‘nature of the police interaction’ with Kyrees and Harvey and the ‘appropriateness’ of the officers’ decisions and actions.
The watchdog is also considering whether the police officers’ actions in the van constituted a pursuit, and whether the interaction between the officers and the boys was ‘reported appropriately by the officers prior to and following the collision’.
IOPC director David Ford said: Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family and friends of Kyrees and Harvey, as well as all those affected by the loss of two young lives in such a close-knit community as Ely.
‘Our investigators have been conducting inquiries and securing evidence in the immediate vicinity of where the events took place, speaking to local residents, distributing leaflets and gathering as much relevant information as possible.
‘I am truly grateful for the cooperation and assistance we have received from people within the local community.
‘We are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of what took place in the period leading up to the collision. I would like to reassure everyone in the community that our work will be thorough, impartial, and independent of the police.’
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Thousands turned out at a vigil for the two boys who died.
