Northern Territory Police have ruled out links between an alleged domestic violence incident and the shooting of an Aboriginal teenager earlier this week.
On Tuesday morning police attended the Palmerston suburb of Gray after calls about an incident earlier in the day.
They said shortly after arrival they were "confronted" by a 19-year-old man allegedly armed with a weapon.
"The man raised the spear at one of the officers despite repeated warnings," NT Police said in a statement.
The officer discharged his firearm, shooting the 19-year old male ... The other officer deployed their taser."
Police confirmed six rounds were fired. It remains unclear how many times the 19-year-old was shot. Both officers were wearing bodycams at the time.
“It will form a major part of the investigation as would the distance between the man and the officer at the time the shots were fired,” said Assistant Commissioner Michael White.
The man remains in a critical condition at Royal Darwin Hospital.
NT Police Assistant Commissioner Michael White APM said police investigations have ruled out links to an alleged domestic violence incident in the area earlier in the morning.
The investigation into the circumstances around the shooting will be overseen by the professional standards command.
Site of Palmerston police shooting on Tuesday morning. Source: Sarah Collard
On Tuesday, the man’s cousin Rita Cronin was on site after the shooting.
"We were trying to ask police what happened and they won’t give us any information about what happened," she told NITV News at the time.
"We feel upset and didn’t know what to do we thought he was going to pass away. We still don’t know at the moment if he is alright or not."
Raymond Hayes, Jamie Lee McPhee and Rita Cronin attended the scene to see if their cousin was alright. Source: Sarah Collard
