A young man from a “decent family” who was found dying in the street was likely the victim of a “senseless” murder over a drug deal gone wrong.
Terrifying CCTV footage showed William Holdback, 21, shouting “help” as he fled from his attackers on Barrpowell St in Welland, a light industrial area west of Adelaide, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
South Australian police now believe he was involved in a drugs deal, and the entire incident was caught on CCTV.
Footage hours before the stabbing showed Mr Holdback ringing a stranger’s doorbell while carrying a skateboard.
Cameras later captured Mr Holdback fleeing from a dark sedan at around 1.21am and running down a quiet street while shouting “help, help”.
William Holdback (pictured) was killed following an alleged carpet deal in a light industrial area in Adelaide’s west on Wednesday.
His attackers chased him on foot and shouted: “Catch him, he can’t run that fast.”
Holdback had a glimmer of hope to escape his killers when one tripped and fell, but seconds later, he also fell to the ground.
Screams were heard on the recording as one of the attackers told Mr Holdback: “I’m going to stab you.”
A short time later, the dark sedan reappeared to pick up the killer.
The driver said, ‘Get in the car. On the other side. He broke all the windows.
‘Where did you stab him?’
Security cameras did not capture the attacker’s response.
A group of musicians rehearsing nearby heard Holdback’s screams and ran to help, but the 21-year-old died at the scene around 1:30 a.m.
His murderers have not yet been found.
Terrifying CCTV footage showed Mr Holdback screaming for help as he was chased by his attackers (pictured forensic officers at the scene of the murder).
Police are searching for a car (pictured) involved in the attack as they continue to hunt down Holdback’s killers.
South African Police Detective Superintendent Des Bray believes the stabbing was a “senseless murder over something trivial” and suggested an altercation between Mr Holdback and his attackers “became heated”.
“We don’t know if there was a skateboard involved in the altercation or if there was something else… but it’s clear that voices were raised and people were angry,” he said.
Major crime detectives cordoned off Barrpowell St with evidence markers seen alongside a skateboard, a pool of blood and tire marks.
Supt Bray said the car involved in the incident was last seen traveling west on Musgrave St.
However, officers have not been able to identify its make or model.
‘We are sure it is a four-door sedan. “It has a sunroof and magnetic wheels and it’s dark in colour: it could be silver, it could be black, it could be dark blue, we’re not sure,” Supt Bray said.
He added that the location of Mr Holdback’s meeting, in an area of warehouses and workshops after lockdown, had “all the hallmarks” of a drug deal or money recovery.
“Unfortunately, Will made some foolish decisions and chose drugs at different times,” Superintendent Bray said.
‘He comes from a decent family, he’s not a bad person. He has simply made a bad decision, like many young people make.”
Police are appealing for anyone with information, images or who witnessed the attack to come forward as the search for Holdback’s killers continues.
South African Police Detective Superintendent Des Bray believes the stabbing was a “senseless murder over something trivial” (pictured, emergency services at the crime scene).
“I’m confident we’ll get results in the future with this work, but it will take some time,” Superintendent Bray said.
‘Nothing is solved with violence.
“They destroyed (Will’s) family’s lives and ultimately destroyed their own lives, because we’re going to find a person responsible and they’re going to go to jail for a long, long time.”
Anyone with information, including dashcam or CCTV footage from the area, is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.