Flowers have been laid in tribute to two teenage boys who died in a crash in Cardiff – while the police watchdog has confirmed it will investigate the incident.
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and 15-year-old Harvey Evans were riding an electric bike when the collision occurred.
Messages of tribute near the crash site included “Rip Ki and Harvey” along with pictures of the two boys.
CCTV footage obtained by Sky News on Tuesday appeared to show two people on a bike being followed by a police vehicle in Frank Road at 5.59pm, just under a mile from the crash site on Snowden Road.
South Wales Police has denied any of its officers were at the site of the crash when it occurred.
The police watchdog has said it will probe “any interaction” between South Wales Police officers and two teenage boys before they were killed in the Ely area of Cardiff.
One resident of nearby Stanway Road, who did not want to be named, told Sky News that she saw a police van following two people on a bike as she walked to her local shop.
“Bike’s come round, two people on a bike and seconds later, van’s coming round the corner on the opposite side of the road,” she said.
The shop is around half a mile from Frank Road.
South Wales Police said it was called to reports of a serious collision at 6.03pm.
In a statement on Tuesday, the force said there were “no police vehicles on Snowden Road” at the time of the collision.
CCTV footage obtained by Sky News appears to show a police vehicle following a bike just before 6pm.
Officers say they are recovering the footage as part of the force’s investigations.
Police continue to appeal to members of the public for further evidence that can help piece together events leading up to the crash.
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Riotous scenes followed the collision with cars set alight and properties damaged.
One man’s taxi had its window smashed in Stanway Road as rioters moved down the street towards Highmead Road.
Officers remained at the scene to respond to the unfolding situation until the early hours of Tuesday.
South Wales Police said 15 officers were injured during the riots and 11 of them were taken to hospital for treatment.
Jenny Sampson, Harvey’s godmother, told Sky News the police would not let the boys’ parents through to see them after the collision and said it was “disgusting” how they were treated.
The force said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
The police watchdog confirmed on Wednesday it will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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The IOPC said in a statement: “Following a referral from South Wales Police we have decided to independently investigate an incident in Ely, Cardiff, on Monday which resulted in the deaths of two teenagers.
“Our decision to investigate follows our attendance at the police post incident procedure and after a review of the information received to date.
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“We will be examining any interaction between the police and the boys after CCTV footage emerged apparently showing a police vehicle following a bike prior to the incident.”
Friends of the boys’ families told Sky News the teenagers would be “sadly missed” and that “everyone’s still in shock”.
A vigil and balloon release is being planned as part of a tribute to the boys.
A post on Facebook said the vigil would take place at 6pm on Friday in Snowden Road, where the crash happened.
The post asked those attending to bring blue balloons.
First Minister Mark Drakeford, who is also the local Senedd member, said his thoughts were “with the families of the two young people who died”.
