Teenager arrested over stabbing death of 21yo man in Tennant Creek

A teenager has been arrested over the stabbing death of a 21-year-old man in Tennant Creek overnight.

Police have said they are investigating whether the incident could be related to ongoing feuding in the town.

In a press conference Northern Territory Police Acting Commander Mark Grieve said officers had received multiple reports of a stabbing about 1:10am today.

He said police believed a large crowd had been present when the man was attacked.

"Upon arrival, five minutes later, at quarter past one, police located the 21-year-old at the intersection of Staunton and Grigg street," Acting Commander Grieve said.

"The male had a significant stab wound to his upper body, resulting in severe blood loss.

"First aid and medical attention was provided by police, followed by St Johns [Ambulance] upon their arrival, however the male was declared deceased at approximately 1:55am."

In a statement earlier on Friday, police said the man had been found "with a laceration to his neck".

A crime scene has been established, with local and Major Crime detectives investigating.

In a further update this afternoon, police said they had arrested a 17-year-old boy at a home in Tennant Creek in relation to the man's death.

They said in a statement he remains in police custody and investigations are continuing.

Acting Commander Grieve said the investigation would involve assessing if the incident was linked to recent unrest in the town.

"There's been some ongoing disturbances in Tennant Creek over the last week, stemming from some riotous behaviour on the weekend," he said.

"We had one person seriously injured and some vehicles set alight, so we believe there's been a few flare-ups based in and around some family feuding."

He said police believed the 21-year-old was a Tennant Creek local, but had not yet confirmed if he had known his attacker.

"I suppose … it's probably easy to assume that, being a small community, especially around football time — the out-of-town communities come in, they intermingle, they mix," he said.

Acting Commander Grieve said officers were reaching out to elders in the region to initiate talks, to prevent potential acts of payback and the risk of further violence.

He said police were searching for other people they believe were present when the incident occurred.

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police say recent unrest related to fatal crashes

Last weekend, police were called to the scene of up to 100 people armed with traditional and improvised weapons, fighting in a town camp on the outskirts of Tennant Creek.

In a statement issued at the time, police said a man was seriously injured and three vehicles were set on fire before they were able to quell the violence.

They said the fighting had been sparked by an ongoing feud between families from outlying communities related to two fatal crashes in the past few years.

The unrest led to the cancellation of AFLNT games in Tennant Creek last weekend.

After the fatal stabbing this morning, the Barkly AFL league has since suspended this weekend’s games and Auskick program.

The league said in a statement the decision followed “the passing of a young member of the Tennant Creek community … and will not proceed out of respect for the individual, their family and broader community”.