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The families of two teenagers who died in an e-bike crash after being followed by police have paid their respects to the ‘inseparable’ best friends as they were laid to rest in the same grave today.
Thousands of mourners lined the streets for the funeral of Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, who died on May 22 when they crashed on a £4,000 Sur-Ron e-bike minutes after CCTV captured them being followed by a police van.
During an emotional service held at Church of the Resurrection on Grand Avenue in Ely, a suburb of Cardiff, relatives of the two boys told the congregation: ‘They did not deserve this’.
The church, which was so packed that more than 1,000 people had to stand in its grounds and on the streets, heard from Harvey’s aunt Mandy Sheeley.
She said: ‘Kyrees and Harvey we inseparable from the minute they met in nursery. Their life was cut way too short, he had so much more to give.
‘Kyrees and Harvey should still be with us today. Comfort is that that they are together. This isn’t goodbye, this is farewell for now.’
Harvey Evans (left) and Kyrees Sullivan (right), pictured here when they were younger, were both killed after the e-bike they were on crashed in Ely, Cardiff, on May 22. They will be laid to rest in the same grave today
Hundreds of mourners have lined the streets for the funeral of Harvey and Kyrees in Ely, Cardiff today
A tribute plane was spotted circling above pulling a banner which read: ‘RIP Kyrees & Harvey young kings’
An Order of Service for the funeral of Kyrees and Harvey at the Church of the Resurrection in Ely, Cardiff
Around 1,200 people were permitted inside the church and over a 1,000 stood outside in the churchyard and street where the service was broadcast to crowds via a large screen and sound system.
Before the service, a procession of two limousines, four hearses and eight white Rolls-Royce cars drove along with around a dozen motorbikes arranged by the boys’ friends.
Many wore blue clothing as requested by the family, and a blue carpet lined the path from the road to the church entrance.
Road closures had been placed around the area by Cardiff Council from 12-2pm and local schools closed for the day due to the numbers expected to attend.
Just before the service, a light aircraft circled the sky towing a sign that read RIP Kyrees And Harvey Young Kings.
Childhood best friends Harvey Evans (left) and Kyrees Sullivan (right) will be laid to rest in the same grave after the pair died in an e-bike crash in May
Mourners line the street as the funeral cortege of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans
Huge crowds of people are seen gathered around to mourn the loss of the two teenagers
Ms Sheeley read a eulogy to her nephew Harvey on behalf of his grieving parents, in which he described a ‘very happy and active’ baby who ‘loved his brothers’ and was equally cherished by them.
She told the congregation: ‘He was so loved by everyone and his biggest thing was that he was the protector.
‘His life was over too soon he had so much more to give and learn. He was a typical boy who loved his bikes and had been riding since the age of three.
‘The family has so much to say about Harvey this is one of the hardest things we’ve had to do. Our hearts are shattered, the house is way too quiet.’
A mourner at the funeral had ‘Harvey and Kyrees Forever young’ written on the back of his T-shirt
His girlfriend’s tribute was also read out, saying: ‘Harvey was not only my best friend but my soulmate. I love you forever.’
Ms Sheeley also read a eulogy on behalf of Kyrees’ family, saying: ‘Kyrees was a loveable boy who still enjoyed cwtches with his mum. From the minute he first rode, bikes became his passion.’
Their deaths, which family members have blamed on police, sparked riots in the city suburb which included violent clashes with officers and damage to property.
South Wales Police (SWP) initially dismissed the fact a marked van had followed the boys as a rumour before the footage emerged.
It then referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct after admitting the teens were being followed 85 seconds before the fatal crash.
Twenty-seven people have been arrested for the riots so far after cars were torched, bricks thrown and 15 police officers were injured.
Due to an ongoing investigation by the IOPC into the actions of South Wales Police, the funeral on Thursday is being managed by Cardiff Council.
Flowers in the shape of the boys’ names were placed on top of the funeral cars as people mourned today
More than 2,500 people, are expected to turn up to say goodbye to the popular teenagers who were both passionate about motorbikes, e-bikes and scooters
Motorbikes follow the funeral cortege of Kyrees and Harvey
Many motorbikes follow the funeral cortege of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans
Mourners took comfort in each other as they gathered to remember the lives of the two teenagers who died
The hearses arrive along with a motorbike procession at the Church of the Resurrection in Ely, Cardiff
Funeral cars appear dressed with blue bows for the boys who tragically died
Mourners pay their respects to the two boys, wearing t-shirts with the teenagers’ names on them
Mourners gathered around to pay their respects to the two teenagers who died
Mourners line the streets for the funeral of the two best friends who will be buried together later today
The coffins of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans are carried out of the church
The four hearses carried individual floral tributes which read Harvey, Kyrees and Best, Friends and those gathered outside clapped as the cars carrying close family passed by.
A number of people became emotional as the two coffins were carried into the church by family members to All My Life by American rappers Lil Durk ft. J. Cole was played.
The hymn All Things Bright And Beautiful was sung by the congregation before a reading and members of both families shared memories of the boys.
More than 2,500 people, turned up to say goodbye to the popular teenagers who were both passionate about motorbikes, e-bikes and scooters.
The Reverend Canon Jan Gould, who led the service, preached about Jesus stilling the storm.
After the service, the boys were taken to their final resting place in Western Cemetery at 2.30pm.
The hearses carrying Kyrees and Harvey arrive with a motorbike procession as Cardiff mourns the loss of the two teenagers
The coffins are carried into the Church of the Resurrection while the song ‘All My Life’ by Lil Durk was played
Flowers were placed on the coffins which were carried into the church for the funeral
Mourners line the streets for the funeral of the two teens. Their faces could be seen on a big screen outside the church
A wake is to be held at the Vale Sports Arena, a large venue located around six miles from the church in Penarth, after the funeral service
Their families have arranged for them to be buried together in the same grave as they had been close since meeting in nursery school.
The electric bike they were killed on was an early birthday present for Harvey who was due to turn 16 just a few weeks after the tragedy.
A wake is to be held at the Vale Sports Arena, a large venue located around six miles from the church in Penarth.
In a Facebook post announcing details of the funeral last month, a family friend said: ‘Please wear what you feel comfortable in. All we ask is that you incorporate something blue.
‘Let’s celebrate the lives of these two young boys and come together as one to remember them and show how loved they are.’
The Reverend Canon Jan Gould said: ‘It’s important for the family especially, but actually for the whole community 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.’
Kyrees Sullivan pictured with his mother Belinda
Harvey Evans (far right) who died in the e-bike crash pictured with his family
Floral tributes for Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans were laid on Snowden road following their deaths
Cars were torched and paving slabs and fireworks were thrown at officers during the riots in Ely in May
Canon Gould said since their deaths and the riots, the church has remained open all day to allow people to come and light a candle and talk about Kyrees and Harvey.
She said she would be preaching about the Gospel passage of Jesus stilling the storm. ‘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,’ Canon Gould said.
‘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.’
South Wales Police said the boys were not being chased on the night of May 22 and the police van was half a mile away when the boys were killed.
But relatives of both boys say they have no trust in their police and have called for an independent investigation.
Harvey’s aunt Hayley Murphy said: ‘I’ve got faith and trust in my family and this community that we will continue to fight and get the truth out there and we get justice for these boys.’
At their vigil in May, Kyrees’s mother Belinda Sullivan told The Daily Telegraph: ‘The police killed my son. I’ve got nothing else to say.’
Scenes being livestreamed on YouTube showed youths throwing fireworks and other missiles at a line of police officers with riot shields who were blocking one end of the street
Cars were damaged during the riots, including police cars which had their windows smashed in
Investigators from the IOPC have now served gross misconduct notices to two SWP officers, the driver and the passenger of the unmarked van, as part of its investigation into the incident.
A relative of Harvey told The Times in May: ‘If they see someone on a Sur-Ron [an e-bike brand], they think they are a drug dealer.
‘The police told Harvey’s family that there were no police vehicles in the area, they didn’t get chased and there was no sighting of them. But there it is, it’s all in the videos.’
One witness whose CCTV captured the moment they were forced to jump out of the way of the bike and the van as they drove past said both were travelling ‘at speed’.
They told the newspaper: ‘You could see the boys were panicking and trying to get away from them.’
One video shows a police van following an e-bike just minutes before the accident that killed the two boys. This image shows the e-bike
Following the fatal incident, the families of Kyrees and Harvey released tributes to the pair, while also calling for ‘peace within the community’ while an investigation takes place.
Harvey’s family said: ‘Our hearts are truly broken by the sudden death of Harvey, our much-loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, friend and boyfriend.
‘He lived life to the full, he had a big heart and deep down he truly cared. He was a best friend to Kyrees and our thoughts and prayers are with his family also.
‘We ask for peace within the community and request that people leave the investigation to the police so we can get the answers we so desperately need to lay Harvey to rest.
‘As Harvey’s mum, I want to remember our son as the fun and loving son that he was, and not as the media are portraying him now.’
A marked police van then follows behind the bike about one second later in the video which emerged
Kyrees’s family also paid tribute and thanked the local community for their support since his death.
‘Kyrees was a loving, caring handsome young man, a loving son to Belinda and Craig, little brother to Aleah and Jordan and a special uncle KyKy to Myra,’ they said.
‘He was loved so much by his grandparents and aunties and uncles and his many cousins.
‘Him and Harvey along with Niall were best friends since they were young and went everywhere together, they both had so many friends and were very well liked doing many things together, having fun and laughs.
‘They were loved by not only their families but by their community as well.
‘Belinda, Craig and families, would like to thank everyone for all their kind words, flowers, and messages since they lost their son.’
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