2019 Darwin shooting

On the evening of 4 June 2019, a mass shooting took place across several locations in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The attacks began at 5:39 pm near Finnis Street just outside the central business district before the gunman moved to other locations, including The Buff Club, Stuart Park, the Palms Motel, a Coles Express, and Jolly Street in Woolner. Witnesses said the gunman entered the Palms Motel on McMinn Street and used a pump-action shotgun to fire through a guestroom door, moving from room to room while calling out the name "Alex." Around 20 shots were reportedly fired in total. Approximately 100 police officers, including members of the Territory Response Group, responded, and the city centre near the motel was placed under lockdown for about an hour.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw described the weapon as a prohibited 12-gauge pump-action shotgun that may have been stolen as far back as 1997. Police said the suspect used seven vehicles to travel between locations. After the motel shooting, he fled in a Toyota utility and remained at large for about an hour before contacting police to reveal his location at the intersection of McMinn and Daly Streets, where he was arrested. At the time of arrest, he was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, having been released from prison on parole in January 2019 after serving part of a six-year sentence. He was also taken to Royal Darwin Hospital after being injured by a knife and tasered during the arrest.

Four men were killed: one at the motel, one at The Buff Club, one at Gardens Hill Crescent, and one at Jolly Street. A 23-year-old woman was shot multiple times in the legs at the motel, helped by a witness at the scene, and taken to Royal Darwin Hospital. The suspect's motivation was not clearly established, though Kershaw said he may have been searching for specific individuals, possibly including a person named "Alex," who police believed was outside the Northern Territory at the time.

The suspect, identified as Benjamin Glenn Hoffmann, then 45, was charged on 5 June 2019 with four counts of murder. His trial, delayed by a legal representation dispute, began on 21 September 2021 at Darwin Supreme Court, where he faced charges including four murders and ten other serious offences. In the seventh week of trial, Hoffmann changed his plea to guilty of the murders of three victims and the manslaughter of a fourth, along with half of the remaining charges. On 13 October 2022, he was sentenced to three life terms without parole for the murders and a 15-year term for the manslaughter.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated the shooting was not terrorism related, and Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner expressed condolences to victims' families, saying "This is not the Darwin we know."