Tributes flow for Luke Batty. Credit:Facebook "Luke was killed by his father, we need to deal with that - myself, my family, my friends ..." Luke's father, Greg, was shot by police after he bashed his son on Wednesday evening at cricket practice in Tyabb on the Mornington Peninsula. Greg later died after being taken to hospital. "It was just a little cricket practice, there were people there, I believed he was safe," Ms Batty said. She and Luke had recently returned from a five-week holiday in Britain and she felt comfortable with Greg.

Wally Rachid with his son, Jad, with flowers at the Tyabb football club. Jad, nearly 11, knew Luke Batty. Credit:Penny Stephens Watching the incident unfold metres away, Ms Batty initially believed Luke had been injured in a bowling mishap. She thought she was watching his father trying to comfort him. "I looked for help, and I ran towards help and screaming, 'Get an ambulance, get an ambulance, this is bad, this is really, really bad," she said.



"From what I could see, Luke had been injured. I thought it was an accident, I had no reason to think otherwise ...



"I truly believed all of that time that it was an accident and that Greg's anguish was because he had hurt Luke accidentally." Flowers left as a tribute to Luke Batty at the Tyabb cricket ground. Credit:Penny Stephens Ms Batty had wanted her son to grow up knowing his father.



"I don't believe anyone really understood or understands what somebody is able to do and so as a sane person or as a caring parent you trust that the very person who killed him loved him and they did love him, they loved him more than anyone else."



Ms Batty said Greg's life had been tragic and that he'd failed to accept help that was offered to him, spending recent months homeless. Despite his issues, Ms Batty said she believed the only threat he had posed was to her, not the son they both loved.



"No one loved Luke more than Greg, his father," she said. ''No one loved Luke more than me. We both loved him. I did what I believed was in the best interests of Luke and I'm comfortable with that - it was a tragic situation that no one could see was going to happen.



"I'm still dealing with disbelief. I want to tell everybody that family violence happens to everybody no matter how nice your house is, no matter how intelligent you are, it happens to anyone and everyone and this has been an 11-year battle."



Luke loved and trusted his father despite his problems, Ms Batty said.



"He felt for his dad, he knew his dad was in a sad place," she said. "Nobody did anything wrong, the police acted the way they need to act and in the past Greg has been confrontational and difficult. The police had no other option," she said.



Only days ago Ms Batty celebrated her birthday, with friends and Luke - they had all been playing by the pool. That's how she wants to remember her son.



"There was good times, there was joy, there was fun," she said. "Nobody knew what would happen."

Ms Batty described her son as funny. Rosie Batty talks to the media about her son and his troubled father who killed him. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones Rosie would do anything for him, it was just beautiful. ''He enjoyed his footy, he enjoyed his cricket, he has drama, he was effervescent, he was funny. He wasn't the best scholar, but he was intelligent. He enjoyed his school at Flinders. He was a little boy in a growing body that felt pain and sadness and fear for his mum and he always believed he would be safe with his dad and he would have trusted Greg," she said. "What triggered this, I think, was a case of his dad having mental health issues, he was in a homelessness situation for many years, his life was failing, that everything was becoming worse in his life and Luke was the only bright light in his life."

Ms Batty was later told by police that Greg's fatal attack on their son was likely "a calculated act that would have occurred at some point". Originally from Britain, she met Greg after she had arrived in Australia as a backpacker more than 20 years ago. His issues began to mount after the birth of their only child, Luke. "You're dealing with someone who has always had problems and they start off smaller and over years they get bigger but he's still the father and you know that they love them," she said. Ms Batty said there was no way to understand why he killed their son.



She said she had not spoken with Greg's family since the incident, but knew they would be "devastated" and intended to reach out to them. "They are good people," she said.



Her family were due to fly in from Britain in the coming days. Police said Luke's father had a history of family violence.

The interim police investigation indicates he had a premeditated plan to kill his son and then commit "suicide by cop". Greg chose to leave his car at home and take the train to training. Known for his violent temper and vindictive nature, according to police, he was seen on Wednesday night bowling balls to Luke as junior practice was winding down and the rest of the group were packing up. Witnesses told police the father then struck his son to the head with a bat. It is believed that was the fatal blow. Police suspect he was waiting until Luke was separated from adults before he acted. There were no initial indications of an argument or dispute before the attack.

The incident happened about 6.30pm, nearly 30 minutes after training had finished. After Luke collapsed his father is believed to have attacked him with a knife. When local uniformed police arrived they ordered the killer to drop his knife. The 54-year-old refused and moved towards them. Independent witnesses, including ambulance officers, called to try to save the boy, police said. They sprayed the man with capsicum spray and retreated to keep a distance between them and him. Then they shot him. "He was chasing them," one witness told police.

Witnesses said he screamed at police to kill him, before running at one officer who fired the fatal shot. The father, from Chelsea Heights, was taken to The Alfred hospital, where he died at 1.30am. Police were checking a caravan where he lived looking for clues to piece together what happened before the murder. The Tyabb Cricket Club issued a statement on Thursday afternoon offering their deepest sympathy to the family and said that as a mark of respect the senior and junior teams would not be playing this weekend. "The Club is deeply saddened and shocked by the loss of Luke who was a kind, enthusiastic player with a fantastic personality," the statement said.

"He will be sadly missed by his teammates and the club as a whole." Luke was his mother's life, said Gill Metzen, who cared for him at the Tyabb Child Care centre for more than three years before he went to school. "Luke was her life. You would be when you have someone later in life. You cherish every moment and now her whole life's gone, " Ms Metzen said. She wanted to pay tribute to a boy who she said would be sorely missed by many children in the tight-knit Tyabb community. "It's been very sad and very tragic. He is going to be missed as his mum has so many friends and they've all got kids and they're associated with him, it's very hard," she said.

"He's only a young little thing but he had a good personality. He was a good kid and Rosie would do anything for him; it was just beautiful." Ms Metzen said Luke had played cricket, football and basketball and that Ms Batty was active in the local community. Originally from the UK, she runs a Stufflers franchise that allows children at birthday parties to stuff their own teddy bears. Luke's Instagram page features a smiling young boy and a Christmas message to his mother. But two months ago he also posted: "Have you ever loved someone but they treat you like crap?" Flinders Christian Community College's executive principal Jill Healey said the loss was a devastating blow to the Tyabb community.

"The loss of any child is just devastating; there's great grief around the campus today," she said. Ms Healey said the school was providing chaplains and counsellors for shocked and grieving students, ''and we're also receiving support from other churches and school communities''. Tyabb campus principal Maxwell Cuddon said Luke was a "sporty kid who was well connected to his classmates". "He loved life, and used to throw himself into anything that came his way. "This is very hard, for all of us," he said.

Mr Cuddon said it had been challenging to have to tell students of their classmate's death, and to see the students' grief. "[Luke was] part of a special [class] made up of grades four, five and six ... so we're taking care to look after them," he said. On Thursday morning the school's Australian flag was flying at half mast in Luke's honour. Luke was also a member of the Tyabb Scouts, and Scouts Victoria chief commissioner Brendan Watson issued a statement on Thursday morning detailing the organisation's distress at his death. "Scouts Victoria is shocked and saddened to learn of the death of one of our young members," Mr Watson said.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends," he said. "We are providing support to the Scout group where Luke was a member." Wayne Carter, the boy's former cub leader at 1st Tyabb Scout Group, said Luke was an enthusiastic and determined member of the scouting club and would be deeply missed. "He was an individual. He had his own way of doing things but he was outgoing; he would give anything a try even if it didn't quite work the first time," Mr Carter told Fairfax Radio. "He was always willing to help," he said.

"He was just everywhere. He went to everything, he was a major part of the group ... He embraced everything he did with gusto." Danny Latcham and his son Kayden, Luke's football teammate, arrived to pay their respects just before 1pm on Thursday. Mr Latcham said Luke was a "good kid, a good little footballer and cricketer, and really happy". Simon Cairns, who visited the oval with his family, carrying a bouquet, said he worked with Ms Batty and that she was "lovely". "She was just a community member - just an average single mum."

Asked to describe Luke in more detail, Mr Cairns said he found it too difficult so soon after the attack. "He was someone that we loved and knew, and it's just horrible that it's happened right here next to home, school and kinder," he said. The Victorian Council of Churches, the Red Cross and the Mornington Peninsular Shire have established a "safe space" in the Tyabb town hall, where counselling and support services are available for members of the community affected. Residents and friends have organised a vigil at the Tyabb oval where Luke pursued his sporting passions at 8pm on Thursday. Mornington Peninsular Mayor Antonella Celi said the community was in shock and struggling to "absorb" what had happened.

"We need to remain vigilant to ensure our young people feel a sense of safety and belonging," she said. Maryanne Haylock, the owner of a milk bar on Tyabb's Main street, said all of her customers were reeling from shock and disbelief at the tragic death.



"Everyone's sad, really sad. The whole situation is unbelievable - we just can't believe it," she said.



Girls from Luke's school who had come in to buy afternoon snacks were visibly upset, she said. Loading With Caroline Zielinski, Nick Toscano

For help or information visit beyondblue.org.au, call Suicide Helpline Victoria on 1300 651 251, or Lifeline on 131 114.