Yuendumu, the home to former AFL star and domestic violence offender Liam Jurrah, has erupted before, most notably in recent times during a wave of attacks between warring families in 2012. Scott McConnell, the independent member of NT Parliament for the vast region that takes in Yuendumu, said it was "a very, very volatile situation" but the community was being well led by the elders. Malcolm Wall, the manager of a local Indigenous enterprise, said community angst was made worse by police's failure on Saturday night to provide information to the family and community, including whether the man had died. The remote Aboriginal community of Yuendumu. Credit:Janie Barrett While there is a heavy police presence in Yuendumu to ensure order, Mr Wall said "the only bad behaviour has come from the police - it's been appalling".

"The one thing that has upset people more than anything is that they refused to talk to the family," Mr Wall said. "The behaviour from this community has been outstanding. Last night all the old fellas and the old women were out the front of that police station keeping everyone calm." Mr McConnell said community members told him it took hours for medical attention to arrive because the local clinic had recently closed its doors following a spate of antisocial behaviour and break-ins. "There are people who are highly dependent on that clinic," Mr McConnell said. "There are people who are immobile and infirm. This is Australia. This is 2019." Yuendumu was already in mourning on Saturday because of a funeral for a man within the same family.

Mr Wall said family members understood police would arrest the man for the alleged breach on Monday, not the day of the funeral. "There's an old lady out here ... and around about 6.15pm her son was being lowered into the ground. Around about the same time that was happening, her grandson was being shot by police. The police knew that funeral was on. It was an incredibly insensitive time. The kid wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't running away." Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael White said the incident was being treated as a death in custody. He provided few other details, citing the ongoing investigation. Mr McConnell said the incident came at a time of escalating antisocial behaviour and dysfunction in Yuendumu and nearby communities, which he attributed to decades of neglect by governments in Canberra and Darwin. "I can tell from the point of view of the local member from this area, we need national attention brought to this situation," he said.