‘I love you, got stabbed’: teen worker’s last words to dad

In an escalation in the NT’s youth crisis a teenager was allegedly stabbed to death by another teenager after being refused service. Read the heartbreaking message he sent to his father before he died.

Declan Laverty was fatally stabbed while working at The Darwin Tavern's attached BWS bottle shop on Sunday night.

The teenager stabbed in Darwin on Sunday night after refusing to serve ­alcohol texted his father saying: “I love you, got stabbed” just ­moments before he died.

A 19-year-old man was arrested on Monday morning after bottle shop worker Declan Laverty, also 19, died after being “assaulted with a knife”.

Mr Laverty was declared dead upon arrival after emergency services were called just after 9pm at a bottle shop in the northern suburb of Jingili.

As tributes flowed in on Monday, Mr Laverty’s father told a local radio station his son was a “wonderful, opinionated, strong lad”.

Police sources told Sky News the victim was stabbed after the ­alleged attacker was refused service just before the store was to close.

Michael White, Assistance Commissioner of Crime, Intelligence and Community, said two children aged 15 and 16 had also been arrested and were also assisting police with inquiries.

Mr White said police believe a separate incident at the Beachfront Hotel in Darwin three hours earlier where “a number of people went into the bottle shop area and (allegedly) attempted to steal items” is linked to the incident.

“In the attempt to apprehend one of the people, the security guard was struck in the head with one of the bottles that was being stolen,” he said.

“The current common denominator is that the vehicle was there at both locations.

“(There is) potentially a third incident earlier in the evening in Karama where a young person was assaulted, and a number of items stolen from them whilst they were on the street.”

Mr White alluded the incident was linked to alcohol addiction.

“Sadly this community suffers from people who have serious ­addiction (to alcohol) and unfortunately for all of us, these people sometimes take to stealing alcohol and put themselves and put the staff that work in these establishments at risk,” he said.

“For us it’s an ongoing issue, it’s a social issue around the reliance on substances to treat their own conditions.

“Whilst it’s not a police matter, it’s certainly a community issue that we all need to look at.”

Endeavour Group, which owns the bottle shop, confirmed the death in a statement and said counselling would be offered to those affected.