Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of Ely this week as nearly 400 motorbikes form a procession for the joint funeral of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans who died in May in a bike crash. The deaths of the boys aged 16 and 15 sparked riots in the Cardiff suburb.
The local council will be in charge of closing the roads around the Church of the Resurrection for the service for the two young best friends at 1pm on Thursday (July 6). A statement from the Diocese of Llandaff said that because Kyrees and Harvey had been so close since nursery, the families felt it right that they also be buried together in the same grave.
The boys’ friendship group have paid tribute to the pair by organising two limousines, four hearses and eight Rolls Royce cars along with between 200 and 400 motorbikes for the procession. Local schools will be closing on the afternoon of the funeral due to the magnitude of people and traffic on the roads.
The Reverend Canon Jan Gould, who is minister at the church, said: “It’s important for the family especially, but actually for the whole community to have some closure now and to begin to move on. My hope is that moving on from this now the community can begin to rebuild. And hopefully the families will find some peace from the service.”
On the day after the boys' deaths and the riots, Canon Gould said the church remained open all day and has continued to be a welcoming space for people to come and light a candle and talk about Kyrees and Harvey. During the service, a moment of silence will be held and the canon will be preaching about the Gospel passage of Jesus stilling in the storm.
She said: “I'm going to be talking about how grief can sometimes feel like a storm that's overwhelming and we don't know how to feel. We can have all kinds of feelings that we can't manage and I'm going to be encouraging them to reach out for that peace that Jesus brought when he stilled the storm and that he longs to still the storms of our lives.”
Friends claimed the boys were being chased by police before the fatal crash but South Wales Police has said the collision had already occurred when officers arrived and that rumours there had been a police chase were false. Two police officers have been served gross misconduct notices following the deaths. The conduct of the driver and passenger in a police van which was seen on CCTV footage behind the boys' electric bike before the crash is being investigated.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) began an investigation after receiving a referral from South Wales Police due to CCTV footage showing a marked police van driving behind the boys’ electric bike, in a nearby street, shortly before the collision on May 22.
In their latest update issued on Tuesday, June 13, they said had served gross misconduct notices on two officers. Such notices advise officers their conduct is subject to investigation. They do not necessarily mean that any disciplinary proceedings will follow.
A total of 27 people have been arrested in connection with the riots. During the riots several vehicles were set alight, property was damaged, police officers were injured, and people were trapped in their own homes as the riot continued for around nine hours.
