A 34-year-old male was shot in the arm with a crossbow bolt during a clash involving bladed weapons at a Northern Territory (NT) community.
Around 4:15 a.m. on Jan. 7, NT police received multiple reports that up to 15 people were fighting with weapons near a health centre in Wadeye, a remote community located about 395 km southwest of the NT capital Darwin.
Police said officers dispersed the group, with the man later airlifted to Darwin for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a crossbow bolt became lodged in his arm.
Police stated the Jan. 7 brawl was linked to an earlier dispute in the same community two days earlier, which involved as many as 100 people, some of whom were armed with edged weapons.
On the morning of Jan. 5, police arrived on Perjert Street to find five individuals involved in an altercation, with up to 100 community members watching.
Police, assisted by community elders, intervened and seized two edged weapons and a glass window panel.
A 22-year-old female suffered a foot injury and was transported to Royal Darwin Hospital, while a 24-year-old female was treated at the local clinic for minor wrist injuries.
Recent Unrest in NT Communities
The latest Wadeye disturbance follows a series of unrest across NT communities of Maningrida and Ramingining, since late December 2024.
Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 4, police responded to a large number of disputes in Maningrida, some involving more than 200 people allegedly armed with bladed weapons.
