A woman is carried by police during unrest outside Alice Springs hospital after the arrest of a man over the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby Photograph: Rhett Hammerton/AAPView image in fullscreenA woman is carried by police during unrest outside Alice Springs hospital after the arrest of a man over the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby Photograph: Rhett Hammerton/AAPUnrest in Alice Springs after Jefferson Lewis arrested over death of Kumanjayi Little BabyDozens of people gathered outside the hospital where the 47-year-old was being treated five days after the five-year-old girl disappeared
Warning: This article contains references to and images of Indigenous Australians who have died
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An angry crowd has clashed with police outside a hospital in Alice Springs where a 47-year-old man arrested by police in connection with the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was being treated.
The arrest of Jefferson Lewis was confirmed in a brief statement by Northern Territory police just before 10pm local time on Thursday night.
View image in fullscreenA police vehicle set alight during clashes between outside Alice Springs hospital. Photograph: Rhett Hammerton/EPA“A short time ago, the Northern Territory police force located and arrested Jefferson Lewis at a residence in Alice Springs,” the statement said.
Guardian Australia understands police were called by members of the community and Lewis was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries sustained prior to his arrest.
Dozens of local people gathered outside the hospital as news of his arrest spread.
Police vehicles and bins were set on fire, and objects were thrown at police who responded with tear gas.
An arrest order was issued for Lewis, 47, on Sunday, after the young girl was reported missing by her mother from the Ilyperenye (Old Timers) town camp.
View image in fullscreenPeople face off with police in Alice Springs. Photograph: Rhett Hammerton/AAPThe body of the young Warlpiri girl was discovered by a police search and rescue team shortly before midday on Thursday, after five days of searching.
She is referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons, at the request of her family.
Her mother earlier issued a statement via police, addressed to her daughter.
“I know you are in heaven with the rest of the family with Jesus and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” she said. “Me and your brother will meet you one day … It is going to be so hard to live the rest of our lives without you.”
Kumanjayi Little Baby went missing from a camp near Alice Springs on Saturday night. Photograph: Northern Territory policePolice said on Monday that Kumanjayi Little Baby’s mother had gone to the town camp, one of 18 such places in Alice Springs, on Saturday to do her laundry in their free machines. They had stayed through the evening and Kumanjayi Little Baby was put to bed in one of the rooms before 11pm.
She was last seen by her mother at 11.30pm. At 1.30am, her mother found her missing and called the police.
Hundreds of volunteers and police officers searched a six square kilometre area of grass and scrubland around the camp, which backs on to the Todd River. A further 20km sq was searched via helicopter.
The Northern Territory chief minister, Lia Finocchiaro, said the whole of the NT was grieving for the young girl.
“Every Territorian has had their heart in their throat waiting for the moment when they got the announcement that she was found safe and well, and that news did not come,” she said.
