Kye Schaefer had a ‘heart of gold’, his uncle said. Picture: Facebook
Kye Schaefer has been identified as the New South Wales man killed after surfing at a spot known as Parkie on Thursday morning. Schaefer, 22, had just gotten out of the water and was stabbed multiple times in the parking lot next to the beach. He was still in his wetsuit when he was found and emergency response was called to the scene. His mother is reportedly an employee of the hospital he was taken to, where he died from his injuries after arriving.
The 22-year-old surfer was a member of the Woolgoolga Soccer Club and had been in a longterm relationship with his girlfriend. Members of the community have been speaking highly of Kye since the tragic news, calling him an “extremely gentle soul, soft spoken, polite, and well-mannered.”
His attacker is still at-large, according to local police. They have yet to release any description of a suspect and theories of the altercation are still being explored.
“We’ve identified some items of interest at a campsite around the jetty area,” Detective Chief Inspector Guy Flaherty told media on the scene. “This area may or may not be related, but at this point we’ve declared a crime scene.”
Schaefer had “a heart of gold,” according to his uncle, who spoke to local media about the incident and then called for stricter laws meant to minimize knife violence in Australia.
“I’m angry obviously at this attacker. But I’m angry about politicians (too),” he told Australian news outlet 2GB, pleading for a the NSW government to adopt a version of Jack’s Law, a “wanding law” in Queensland that allows police to use handheld metal detectors in public places in order to find concealed weapons. It’s illegal in NSW for a person to use or carry a knife that is visible in the presence of any person in a public place or school in a manner that would cause a person to fear for their safety. “How long do we have to wait here in New South Wales? This will save lives. Why are they asleep at the wheel? It’s our sons and daughters,” he added. “I hope all the listeners and people in New South Wales are angry. He was just coming back from the surf (and was) stabbed eight times. What on earth is going on? Give the police these powers and save lives. Do your job.”
