Residents’ tales of gunman

Humpty Doo residents have told of alleged close encounters with suspected Darwin gunman Ben Hoffmann.

Suspected Darwin shooter Ben Hoffman.

Residents in Humpty Doo have told of alleged close encounters with suspected gunman Ben Hoffmann, who turned up at multiple properties on the same road just before the start of the Darwin murder spree.

At least two alarmed residents from Jefferis Rd called police on Tuesday, with one reporting that she was approached by a man armed with a gun who was looking for somebody.

Police have sealed off a house in the road, with the property’s resident telling The Australian she had been unable to return all day.

“I don’t know the person. I’m not associated with any of those people,” she said in a brief phone call.

“I have met him once through a friend of mine who stays at my place. Then she brought him here and then I told the friend he’s really not welcome at my place.

“Police have all the details. Nobody got hurt at my place, there’s far more important stories in town.”

It is believed Hoffmann was in the street just after 4pm, with police receiving the first emergency calls about shots being fired in Darwin at just after 5.30pm. Humpty Doo is about 40km southeast of Darwin.

Another resident received a call from a neighbour yesterday, warning a man with a gun had approached her.

“She said `I’ve rung the police but there’s a man with a gun in the car’ and he was asking about somebody, where somebody was.

“She said she didn’t know and she rang us to let us know. Later on the in the evening, we had police come in the night and said have you had any incidents.”

Police had explained it was the same person involved in the shootings.

“He just drove in because her gate had been open. She said when she saw the gun she was nervous but he wasn’t aggro or anything to her.”

Another saw a white ute drive down her long driveway before turning around and driving out again. She contacted police at about 8.30pm, after the shootings. It was the same car Hoffmann was allegedly driving.

Officers who visited her home at about 11.30pm Tuesday are believed to have been unaware she had called police, and were instead canvassing the road.