The four key questions police watchdog asking over fatal crash before Ely riots in Cardiff

Police officers on Wilson Road in Cardiff as they faced a "large scale disorder" following a serious road traffic collision on Snowden Road in Ely. Credit: PA

An investigation into police interaction with two teenage boys prior to their deaths is "progressing", according to a police watchdog.

Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and 15-year-old Harvey Evans were killed in Ely on Monday evening while riding an electric bike.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began an investigation earlier this week after receiving a referral from South Wales Police.

The referral came following the circulation of CCTV footage which shows a marked police van driving behind the boys’ electric bike, in a nearby street, shortly before the collision on 22 May.

South Wales Police said the police vehicle was half a mile away from the site of the collision, when it happened. Credit: Bing

IOPC released a statement today, saying the watchdog has "conducted extensive house-to-house enquiries on streets in Ely and have been gathering information from local residents and CCTV footage".

They added: "We are reviewing initial accounts from the police officers involved. We have contacted the families of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, who sadly lost their lives in the incident."

The watchdog outlined that they are investigating:

  • The nature of the police interaction with the two boys prior to the collision and the appropriateness of the police officers' decisions and actions.

  • Whether at any time the decisions and actions of the officers in the police vehicle constituted a pursuit.

  • Whether the interaction between the police officers and the boys was reported appropriately by the officers prior to and following the collision.

  • Whether the actions and decisions of South Wales Police over the interaction were in line with legislation, local and national policies and procedures.

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 enquiries 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."

He added: "I am truly grateful for the co-operation and assistance we have received from people within the local community.

"We would welcome anyone we haven’t yet spoken to yet, who believes they have footage or witnessed anything relevant between 5.35pm and 6.10pm on Monday, to come forward to us.

"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."