Mother of Love Machine victim Richard Arow remembers 'family angel'
The mother of Richard "Kur" Arow, who was shot dead while standing in line for a Prahran nightclub with his girlfriend, has told how her life has been destroyed since losing the "family angel".
Yom Ayom fled Sudan with her five young children in November 2002 to the safety of Melbourne. But almost 17 years later, her 28-year-old son was gunned down in front of Love Machine early April 14.
“It has literally destroyed her life,” the mother told Nine News in front of their family home in Maidstone, with Mr Arow's cousin Adol Takpiny translating.
“In her words, she came to Australia to stay away from war and bullets. Today a bullet has claimed her son. The very same bullet and fighting that she ran away from.”
Mr Arow, a talented soccer player who worked in transport logistics, died in The Alfred hospital on Friday night.
His mother and sister Achol had waited by his bed up to 20 hours each day.
Mr Arow was the second victim of the Love Machine shooting, when bullets were spayed from a stolen Porsche Cayenne about 3am on April 14.
Security guard Aaron Khalid Osmani was killed by a bullet to the face.
No arrests have been made.
Mr Arow's sister, Achol, wiped away tears as she told Nine News her brother was her "protector".
“He always used to tell me that he'll be there for me 110 per cent, no matter what.”
On Facebook, she told of how it was like a bad dream rushing to hospital that morning before doctors explained they tried everything they could.
"If I were to be quite honest, everything became a blur after that moment. The state of instant shock lasted a few hours turned into several days," Achol wrote.
"Seeing you laying down on that hospital bed broke my heart into pieces. The only thing that kept our hope alive was the fact you still had a heartbeat. We prayed so much to see a miracle. But truth is, God had other plans for you my beloved brother."
Mr Arow volunteered in youth justice and helped train young Brimbank Stallion soccer players. He had been skydiving in Mexico on holiday with his girlfriend Rebekah Spinks earlier this year.
Ms Spinks said he had applied to become a firefighter to be a representative of the south-Sudanese community in Australia.
“It was really important to him. He was very passionate about it. It started with football but it became more than that," she told Nine News.
“He really felt that was his purpose.”
He was known as "Kur" within the community, according to a Go Fund Me fundraiser.
"The Arow family are very much loved and widely respected in Melbourne’s West and we all extend our loving arms around those that knew and loved this amazing young man who’s life was tragically cut short," the page says.
About $6000 had been raised for the family by Monday evening.