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WARNING: This story contains details and footage that may distress some readers. The behaviour of the 16-year-old Perth boy fatally shot by police on the weekend was so concerning, a letter had been written to the education minister about him, WA Premier Roger Cook confirmed on Monday. But he said while education authorities "continued to manage" him, police were powerless to act on the concerns as he had not committed any crime. The news came as parents of students at Rossmoyne Senior High School, where the boy was a student, expressed their shock about the incident on Monday morning. The scene of the fatal shooting of a teenage boy in Willetton.(ABC News: Tabarak Al Jrood) One parent told the ABC they were concerned their child was being influenced by the teenager, and had raised their concerns with police weeks ago. The teenager stabbed a man, aged in his 30s, in the car park of a Bunnings store in Willetton on Saturday night, having rung triple-0 and warned police he was going to commit "acts of violence". The boy was then fatally shot by police after lunging at officers with a large kitchen knife. Authorities alleged the youth became radicalised online and is believed to have suffered mental health issues. Loading... Premier Roger Cook said a letter was sent to Education Minister Tony Buti by a parent, raising concerns about the teen's behaviour. "The minister automatically referred the letter to the Education Department for actioning," Premer Cook told reporters. "The Education Department took that information on board and continued to manage that young man." He said several people had become sufficiently worried about the teen to report their concerns to police. "[The boy] sent a text message to others in the community … many of those people then subsequently contacted police to express their concerns about the elevation in his mood and intentions," Mr Cook said. The ABC has seen a copy of the text message purportedly sent by the teen to a number of his friends prior to Saturday night's stabbing. The message refers to his Islamic faith and makes mention of jihad (struggle). It warns recipients to "clear your technology such as laptops and phones including search history … as the police will likely look into my contacts". However, the Premier said police were not able to interfere, as the boy had not committed any crimes. "The police are responsible for enforcing the law. The law does not prohibit people from having extreme thoughts," he said. Roger Cook says concerns about the teen's behaviour had been brought to the attention of the education minister. (ABC News: Cason Ho) The teenager was one of nine people in WA engaged in a state-run anti-extremist program. Mr Cook said the boy was a voluntary participant in that program for the past two years. "This young gentleman was part of our Countering Violent Extremism program, so we were obviously well aware of the thoughts that he was harbouring," he said. However, the premier denied the teenager was posting his intentions to carry out an attack on social media. "As part of the countering violent extremism program the individual in question only has a very basic telephone," Mr Cook said. "There is a range of measures and I think that includes limiting their access to online media and to social media." Rossmoyne's principal, Alan Brown, penned a letter to parents on Sunday expressing "great sadness" over the incident. "Within the school, we will have support staff available to assist students, staff and parents," the email read. The boy was a student at Rossmoyne Senior High School, one of Perth's top public schools. (Supplied: WA Department of Education) Mr Brown said the school would contact parents directly if staff were concerned about their child. "Young people may want to meet in groups or turn to social media for support and to express their feelings," he said. "Whilst this may be helpful, please be aware of potential misinformation or inappropriate comments." Some parents spoke with the media outside the school on Monday morning, expressing their shock. One mother, whose daughter is in Year 11, said "the whole community is very sad". "As a community we are sad, I'm very sad, the children are sad," she said. "They couldn't sleep or study yesterday all day - I don't know what we should do about this." She said her daughter was anxious about going to school, so she "asked the school to take care of [her]" on Monday. "I got an email from the principal yesterday and they have offered some services, but I have no words," she said. The woman's younger son is in year nine at the school and knew the16-year-old. "He was a very kind-hearted and helpful child," she said. "My son ... said he was very friendly and he has helped him before as a friend - he's a good child." The premier said the government and police were providing extra support at the high school. "We have people at Rossmoyne today and there is an increased police presence as a result of the anxieties the community must be feeling," Mr Cook said. Mr Cook met with dozens of community and cultural leaders on Sunday afternoon, thanking them for their role in assisting police with their rapid response. Mr Cook said the Islamic community attempted to redirect the boy's extremist views and gave police "as much notice as possible," when they noticed a shift in his behaviour. The incident has not been classified as a terrorist attack. "We are confident that this was a single act by a single person acting alone. There is no further threat to the community," Mr Cook said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reiterated that sentiment and said WA Police were taking a considered approach. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed concern about social media sites that radicalise young Australians. (ABC News: Nick Haggarty) When questioned about whether the definition of terrorism should be changed to politically motivated rather than religiously motivated, Mr Albanese said "it's the right time to back our police". "It's the right time to back in our processes that they undertake but my first thoughts are with the victim of this incident but also, to applaud the very swift action of WA Police," he said. "But also, to also acknowledge the very important work that the Muslim community did to alert police to the messages that had been sent out by this young man." Mr Albanese acknowledged concerns about the threat of extreme material being accessed on social media. "Social media where people can be pushed through the use of algorithms of what occurs towards more extreme positions is of course a concern," he said. Loading... Loading Posted 6 May 20246 May 2024Mon 6 May 2024 at 3:34am, updated 7 May 20247 May 2024Tue 7 May 2024 at 12:25amAnti-extremist program
Teenager had 'basic phone'
School expresses sadness
'Kind-hearted' boy
'Single person acting alone'