Riot erupts at Alice Springs Hospital after accused child killer arrested

Warning: This story contains the name and images of a deceased Indigenous person.

Police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas into an angry crowd of protesters who converged on Alice Springs Hospital on Thursday night following the arrest of a man accused of killing a five-year-old girl.

Police received multiple calls about 9.30pm on Thursday that Jefferson Lewis, 47, was at one of the town camps in Alice Springs and was being violently assaulted by a group of people, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole said.

Lewis had become the subject of one of the Northern Territory Police’s biggest manhunts after the body of Kumanjayi Little Baby* was found on Thursday by the Todd River.

Dole said detectives who arrived at the town camp intervened and arrested Lewis, who had received “quite a severe beating” and suffered significant head injuries. The officers took Lewis to Alice Springs Hospital for treatment, and soon a crowd of hundreds had gathered outside.

“Large crowds gathered at the hospital, up to about 400 people, and attempted to gain entry [to the hospital] to get to Mr Lewis,” Dole said.

The angry crowd could be heard shouting “they got him” and demanding police hand Lewis over to be dealt with by the community.

Police were forced to take shelter and use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd after protesters hurled abuse at them and smashed police car windows.

Police cars were set on fire and jumped on as the officers attempted to move the crowd along. The riot lasted about five hours, Dole said.

“I understand there’s a lot of anger and there’s a lot of grief, but what we saw last night is just not acceptable,” Dole told Sky News on Friday morning.

“The law must apply equally to everybody, and as Northern Territory police, we take an oath to serve and protect, and we don’t get to choose who we protect, and that’s what we were doing last night. To turn on emergency services, to turn upon the police, is totally unacceptable.

“But it also doesn’t reflect what we’ve seen in the last week in Alice Springs – we’ve seen a community come together, stand shoulder to shoulder, do line searches, searching for Kumanjayi Little Baby … to see what that descended into last night, and that violent disturbance is extremely disappointing.”

Dole said Lewis was flown from Alice Springs to Darwin about 3.30am on Friday and remained in custody.

“I think there’s a lot of grief and sorrow and tensions do remain high, but look, the violence from last night has been quelled,” Dole said.

Kumanjayi Little Baby vanished from Old Timers Aboriginal Town Camp on Saturday night, with authorities alleging Lewis, who was also staying at the camp, had taken her from her family’s house as she slept.

After five days of searching for the pair, the child’s body was found by police near Todd River, about five kilometres south of the camp. Her cause of death is yet to be determined.

Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy, who represents the Northern Territory, called for community calm on Friday morning.

“We need calm to come into this space and remember that there’s families who are grieving, and justice now needs to take its course,” she told Radio National.

“There needs to be a proper process now in terms of this criminal investigation, and it must not be jeopardised by foolishness.”

She said the Albanese government stood ready to provide additional support if needed.

Earlier on Thursday, NT Police assistant commissioner Peter Malley warned others about helping Lewis.

“We say to the family of Jefferson Lewis that we believe he’s murdered this child. Do not assist him – get him to the police station, and we’ll look after him,” he said.

“And I say to Jefferson Lewis: we’re coming for you.”

The girl’s family released a statement on Thursday afternoon saying she was missed and loved, and that it was going to be hard to live without her.

“I know you are in heaven with the rest of the family with Jesus, and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” the statement read.

“Me and your brother will meet you one day, we are giving our lives to Jesus.

“It is going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without [you].

“Ramsiah [the girl’s brother] wants to tell you that when he sees you in heaven, he is going to give you the biggest hug ever.”

Kumanjayi Little Baby’s great aunt, Rose Spencer, said she remembered when Lewis arrived at the community about a week ago after being told by members of another community, Yuendumu, that he was not welcome there.

“We trusted him as a family. He was in [our family], but not any more. We don’t trust people,” she said.

Dole said police believed Lewis was helped to evade detection.

The search for him was further hampered by the fact he had no mobile phone, bank account or vehicle, forcing police to resort to “1930s-style” shoe-leather policing.

NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said she had spoken to the little girl’s mother, who was incredibly distraught.

“Around 200 people have worked tirelessly around the clock in searching for this beautiful little girl who went missing five days ago, five days every Territorian has had their heart in their throat, waiting for the moment that we got the announcement that she’d been found safe and well,” she said.

“That news did not come, and it’s fair to say everyone is feeling this loss acutely.”

*For cultural reasons, the name of the five-year-old victim will no longer be published, in accordance with the family’s wishes.