NT outback town war: Man charged over fatal crossbow attack at Peppimenarti

A young man will appear in court after he was charged in relation to a fatal crossbow attack which has rocked a remote outback town.

Additional police resources have been deployed to the community of Peppimenarti, 320km south-west of Darwin following the death of a man, 36, who was allegedly shot in the chest with an arrow late Tuesday night.

He was rushed to a local health clinic but died a short time later.

An 18-year-old man was assisting police with their inquiries and has since been charged with manslaughter.

He will appear in Darwin Local Court on Thursday.

Additional resources have been sent to the community, including major crime detectives, crime scene examiners and officers from NT Police’s tactical group.

The alleged incident has also prompted West Daly Regional Council to close all its services in Peppimenarti until further notice.

The local health clinic is also closed with calls redirected to Palumpa Health Centre, 48km away.

Detectives believe the incident is linked to ongoing unrest in nearby Wadeye, where violent clashes between rival Indigenous clans were reported earlier this year.

‘We believe it will be connected to the ongoing disturbances out there over a period of time,’ Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Morrissey told reporters. 

National Indigenous Australians Agency Reconciliation Action Plan central group member Henry Wilson said the community has been devastated by the latest incident.

‘Everyone is not OK,’ he told the NT News.

It’s understood the Northern Land Council has since called for an urgent meeting with police and the police union. 

Local authorities have struggled to contain the bloodshed across the wider West Daly region in the past few months

Full-scale riots broke out in  Wadeye, about 90km west of Peppimenarti in May which has since extended to surrounding towns. 

‘Police are working with elders, the local council and other government agencies to maintain community safety,’ a police said in a statement.

Violence has escalated throughout the West Daly region between families and warring gangs in recent months (pictured, gangs of locals armed with axes, hammers and machetes and a crossbow roam the streets of Wadeye)

The fatal crossbow attack is the latest in a series of incidents to rock the outback community (pictured, one man seen with an arrow through his forearm believed to be in the surrounding town of Wadeye)

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the government was working to address issues in the region.

‘These are complex, multifaceted issues that we will continue to address,’ she said.

The latest incident comes after Peppimenarti was rocked by civil unrest, family fighting and even an incident involving gunfire.

In November last year, bullets were allegedly fired in the community, prompting officers to flock to the town. A man was later arrested over the shooting.

In 2020, a family feud resulted in one man shooting another in the chest with an arrow from a compound bow.

The shooter was found guilty of unlawfully causing serious harm and sentenced to time behind bars.

The feud, which broke out after a pet dog was run over, saw family members brawl on Peppimenarti’s basketball court.

Many of those involved in the fighting were armed with steel poles and rocks. 

Wadeye is a remote outback township 420 km southwest of Darwin in the Northern Territory

But the violence pales in comparison to the West Daly community of Wadeye, a one-hour drive away.

Wadeye was established to bring remote Aboriginal people together so they could get access to modern facilities.

The population has doubled over the last 10 years to more than 4,000-strong with the community facing mass riots, gang warfare, arson attacks on family homes, critical food shortages and the displacement of hundreds of terrified residents.

About 500 people out of the township’s population of 4,000 have fled.

About a quarter of the homes in the community have been damaged or destroyed in the violence, many by fire.