Australian baseballer Chris Lane with his girlfriend Sarah Harper. "I hate it for the girlfriend, I hate it for the parents, being so far away," Ford said. The three boys – identified by US news websites as 15-year-old James Edwards, 16-year-old Chancey Luna, who allegedly pulled the trigger, and 17-year-old Michael Lucas – were expected to be formally charged on Tuesday. But already they have become figures of hate in this town and across the world, in Australia. Thousands of people have visited a Facebook site set up in tribute to Lane, many of them leaving messages of grief and sympathy, others calling for the suspects to face capital punishment. Ford said crimes like this were rare in Duncan. His officers normally responded to more routine offences – fights and assaults, domestic violence and drug use. Even so, after nearly 30 years on the job, he was no longer so shocked by violence among youth.

The family of Christopher Lane, 22, gather for a media conference at Essendon Baseball Club in Melbourne Credit:AAP But, he said, the town of Duncan was. A little more than 22,000 people live here and many are outraged. The boys were not in a car when Lane, a 22-year-old Australian from Oak Park in Melbourne, jogged past them, Ford said. Once they selected him as a victim, they followed him and allegedly shot him in the back with a small calibre handgun. Tragic loss: Christopher Lane. Credit:Essendon Baseball Club Lane, studying at East Central University on a baseball scholarship, had left the home of his American girlfriend, Sarah Harper, for a jog in the leafy, upscale neighbourhood when he was allegedly spotted by the boys, who did not know him.

Lane stumbled across the road and stunned onlookers rushed to help. One woman performed CPR while another called 911 emergency services. “They saw him go by and they said, 'that's our target'" Paramedics and police arrived on the scene within minutes, but Lane's injury was too severe and he died about an hour later. Police received a break later that day when a distraught local parent called the police, saying "several juveniles are coming over to kill their son". When police got to the scene they found a car matching the description of the one carrying Lane's attackers in a nearby church parking lot. They boys were arrested and one soon allegedly confessed to killing Lane.

A search of the car and surveillance footage revealed hidden weapons and ammunition, police said. The boys have no known links to gangs or organised criminals. "They wanted to be Billy Bob Badasses," Ford told media earlier. "I think they were on a killing spree. We would have had more bodies that night if we didn't get them. "They were bored and just wanted to see somebody die," he told ABCNews.com. Lane and his girlfriend, who had been together for four years, had only been back in the United States three days after visiting Lane's family in Australia.

Lane's girlfriend Speaking from Duncan, Lane’s girlfriend, Sarah Harper, said she wasn't thinking about the killers at the moment. ‘‘I don’t really care what happens to them,’’ she told the Nine Network. ‘‘I feel that if they don’t get what they deserve now in the present they will eternally. ‘‘They’re evil people and they’ll be taken care of eventually.’’

She also revealed something of her feelings on her Facebook page. "It's a very angry yet extremely sad time,” she wrote. "No one deserves to die that way. Not even the boys involved. Don't get me wrong, I want them to rot in Hell, but no one should be blindly taken from the back so unexpectedly and without any reason.” Soon after Lane's death, Harper wrote: "I love you so much babe. From 2009 until forever you will always be mine and in a very special and protected place in my heart ... 4 years of the most amazing memories with Christopher Lane. This last adventure together I'll always cherish.” Sarah's aunt, Elaine Harper Moore, wrote on her Facebook page that “Chris was a member of the family ... My niece was his girlfriend for the past 4 years. Our families are grieving.” Lane's father, Peter Lane, said his son was "a kid on the cusp of making his life". "There's not going to be any good come out of this because it was just so senseless," he said.

"He was an athlete going for a jog like he would do five or six days a week in terms of his training schedule. It's happened, it's wrong and we just try and deal with it the best we can." Parents of accused The parents of two of the boys accused of the random drive-by shooting believe their sons are innocent. ‘‘I don’t believe he was there, because of the time frame,’’ one of the boy’s mothers told reporters outside the Stephens County Courthouse in Duncan on Monday. ‘‘I don’t believe my son did it,’’ the father of another boy said.

The boys were scheduled to be brought to the courthouse on Monday afternoon (about 4.30am Tuesday, Sydney time), but it was pushed back a day. A spokesperson for District Attorney Jason Hicks said the charges were still being reviewed. Loading If convicted of first-degree murder, the boys face a maximum sentence of life in prison. They can be tried as adults, but the spokesperson said because they were under the age of 18 they could not face a death sentence. with AAP and staff reporters