Alleged Peppimenarti shooting linked to long standing family conflicts

A long standing conflict between family groups allegedly broke into chaos, with shots being fired in a remote community.

A LONG standing conflict between family groups allegedly broke into chaos, with shots reportedly being fired in the Daly River region.

NT Police Commander Janelle Tonkin confirmed officers responded to reports of shots being fired in the Peppimenarti community, 324km southwest of Darwin on Thursday morning.

“These reports are currently under investigation,” Cdr Tomkin said.

She said there were no injuries reported and no arrests yet.

Ms Tonkin said police were working with community leaders and service providers to address a longstanding dispute between family groups that led to recent unrest in the community.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said police resources were diverted to respond to the Peppimenarti incident, another strain on the force already involved in the Katherine cluster.

Mr Chalker said the alleged shooting caused significant “unrest” in the community, and police were working with health services on the ground to regain calm.

“There are far greater issues presenting to all of us, and we don’t need to be caught up in these family fights and disputes,” Mr Chalker said.

“So please, everyone in Peppimenarti take a breath and calm down, return home.

“Let us establish order and then we can help try to repair your community.”