Robina stabbed: The tragic last words of an ‘inspirational’ 26-year-old who was killed outside a Gold Coast pub – as friends swear he will be ‘missed but never forgotten’
A young man from the Gold Coast is remembered as fun-loving and good-natured before his life was tragically cut short in an alleged 90-second brawl.
Dylan McPadden, 26, was in the outdoor smoking section of the RQ Tavern in Robina on the Gold Coast around 10.15pm Thursday night when a man and woman entered.
Words were exchanged between the pair, who knew each other, before the man pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr McPadden once in the chest before he and the woman fled.
Paramedics rushed to the scene and treated Mr McPadden before he was transferred to University of Gold Coast Hospital where he sadly died.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested and charged with one count of murder after police raided a unit in the nearby suburb of Mermaid Beach around 2am on Saturday.
“Several” knives were reportedly seized during a search of the unit, police said.
Dylan McPadden (pictured) has sadly died after suffering a suspected stab wound to the chest during a 90-second bar fight on the Gold Coast
Just days ago, the ‘happy-go-lucky’ Mr McPadden wrote on social media how pleased he was with what would turn out to be his tragic final post.
“Yes, today is like a day for dancing,” he wrote.
He had also recently posted about achieving a long-term goal he was working towards and didn’t know what to focus on next.
A group of friends gathered at RQ’s Tavern on Saturday afternoon to share a drink in honor of their mate and “wish him good luck”, as more and more friends made their way to social networks to express their shock.
‘Rest in heaven Dylan McPadden. Thanks for all the fun memories from our high school days,’ her friend Rachel Wright said.
“You have always been and always will be such a light in everyone’s life. Your presence here will be missed but certainly not forgotten. Fly high Dyl,” she added.
Another friend Lisan Ferguson wrote: “Another legend lost too soon. You will miss us.’
A friend told reporters outside the tavern on Saturday that Mr McPadden was “not one to get into altercations like this”.
“He’s a happy guy who stays away from situations like this.”
Dylan McPadden (pictured) was a ‘cheerful’ guy who stayed away from ‘situations like this’, his friends said
Queensland Police Detective Sergeant Mark Proctor said on Saturday it was a tragic example of the dangers of knives.
“That’s what knife crime does, it turns minor incidents into major incidents and destroys lives.”
“The fight started in that area pretty much right away.”
“As a result of this argument, (the suspect allegedly) pulled out a knife and stabbed the person once in the chest,” he said.
“The whole incident happened in a matter of minutes, about 90 seconds.”
‘It’s just such a mess. I understand that the young man was a regular at this tavern, so (the staff) would have known him.
Police at the pub on Thursday after the alleged fight. Mr. McPadden was a regular
A 26-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder after police seized bags of evidence, including several knives
Detectives investigate scuffle outside RQ’s Gold Coast tavern
He said forensic teams were evaluating the knives seized from the Mermaid Beach unit.
“We will have to determine by scientific means which knife was used whether it was in fact one of those seized or the one we are still looking for.”
The accused man remains in custody.
Detectives want to speak to all witnesses and anyone with relevant footage regarding the incident.
