NT Police has assured family and friends of a teenager shot by police the incident will be investigated fully, with oversight from WA Police and the NT anti-corruption commissioner.

On his first day in the role, Commissioner Jamie Chalker thanked Yuendumu community leaders for maintaining calm at a time of great sadness.

Key points: The professional standards investigation into the shooting will be overseen by the WA Police Assistant Commissioner

The professional standards investigation into the shooting will be overseen by the WA Police Assistant Commissioner The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency plans to request the vision captured by the officer's body camera

The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency plans to request the vision captured by the officer's body camera NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner has defended the police decision to delay informing the family of the death

"My heart goes out to the Warlpiri people," he said.

WARNING: This article contains an image of Mr Walker used with the permission of his family.

"This is a tragedy but everybody can be very reassured that we will investigate this fully on behalf of the coroner, to ensure that the outcome is subsequently available for public scrutiny."

Commissioner Chalker said WA Police Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich, who was already on secondment with NT Police, would lead a professional standards investigation into the shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker.

"All the answers that people are seeking will be known," he said.

NT Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) Ken Fleming would also have an oversight role, Commissioner Chalker said.

"We will continue to work with the ICAC Commissioner as well in respects of ensuring professional oversight in relation to that matter," he said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 19 seconds 1 m 19 s Yuendumu community members spoke of their grief after Mr Walker was fatally shot by police.

Commissioner Chalker said NT Police had not yet taken any disciplinary action against the officers involved.

"In the fullness of time, if the evidence leads that way, that will be a decision that is made at that point in time," he said.

He did not confirm whether officers involved had followed police protocol or their own initiative when they delayed informing Mr Walker's family about his death.

"Once I'm fully informed I'll be able to provide an answer to that," Commissioner Chalker said.

Decision not to tell family 'inappropriate'

Priscilla Atkins, chief executive of the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA), said lawyers would request a copy of the body-worn camera vision, which Commissioner Chalker confirmed had been recorded.

"We really want to know about what that timeline is," she said.

"Why didn't the police use pepper spray? Why didn't they use a taser? Why did they have to resort straight to using ammunition?".

Mr Walker was fatally shot at a residence in Yuendumu, according to NT Police. ( Supplied: Facebook )

Ms Atkins said any decision not to communicate with the community immediately after Mr Walker's death was inappropriate.

"When you have a community and someone has just been shot, the best way to work with them is using a community policing model," she said.

"Working with the elders in the community, getting the message out to the family so they're aware of what's going on."

"If you leave them in the dark, that's where you're going to get the outrage."

Ms Atkins said NAAJA's custody notification service was not informed about the incident but the agency was contacted about it on Sunday night.

Police told a press conference late on Sunday afternoon that before the shooting, officers in Yuendumu had wanted Mr Walker to volunteer himself to police over breaches of a community corrections order.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael White said Mr Walker had been permitted to first attend the funeral of a senior local man on Saturday after police negotiated with Mr Walker's family about his arrest.

Deputy Commissioner White said at 7:15pm officers found Mr Walker in a house and they were "set upon", before a "number of shots" were fired and Mr Walker was fatally struck.

"One of the officers sustained a stab wound to the shoulder by a sharp or an edged weapon," Deputy Commissioner White said.

Elders in the remote community of Yuendumu have called for calm in the wake of a fatal police shooting. ( ABC News: Hamish Harty )

Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister Michael Gunner defended the decision of NT Police not to tell Mr Walker's family about his death until nearly 10 hours after he was shot.

"Police on the ground had to make decisions best they could in the circumstances about when they informed the family — I don't want to essentially backseat drive this," he said.

Mr Gunner said officers had to juggle the "respectfulness of the situation" with community safety.

The health clinic in Yuendumu, an Aboriginal community 266 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs, was unstaffed on Saturday night.

Mr Gunner said health staff had left because they felt unsafe after a "series of break-ins".

Police Minister Nicole Mansion said the health clinic had reopened and the school would reopen on Wednesday, with counselling available for staff and students.