Why Alice Springs riots broke out

This is the moment a community's grief over the death of a young girl descended into riots.A police car set on fire, a service station turned inside out.Hundreds of furious people gathered outside Alice Springs Hospital, demanding justice over the alleged murder of 5 -year -old Kumunjai Little Baby.

And I'll say to Jefferson Lewis, we're coming for you.

This is the accused killer at the centre of the riots, 47 -year -old Jefferson Lewis.Earlier that day, he'd been tracked down by a local vigilante group.It's alleged he was beaten, quote, within an inch of his life, before he was arrested and taken to hospital.This footage shows his capture.

That's when the riots broke out.

Crowds outside the hospital shouted, bring him out, and police stepped in to disperse them.Five emergency workers were injured.The little girl's disappearance sparked one of the largest searches in Northern Territory history, with more than 200 volunteers working alongside emergency services.She was discovered five kilometres from where she had vanished.The crowd's fury runs deeper than just outrage.It's also a clash between two systems, Australian law and traditional Indigenous law.

Some locals said they wanted the accused killer to be punished under a concept in some Central Aboriginal communities called payback.Payback is a form of traditional justice where wrongdoing is met with reciprocal punishment.Traditional payback is controlled by elders, but there's no formal channel for it as it's not recognised in Australian criminal law.Not everyone in the community supports the idea.Indigenous leader Warren Mundine criticised the concept, saying that allowing that kind of system creates a never -ending cycle.He said Australia can't operate under two different legal systems, and that

everyone should be entitled to a fair trial.The voices on the ground tell a different story.Some say the anger isn't just about this one case, but a broader feeling that the system as it stands is not protecting their communities.They say people rioted because they're hurting, because the victim was a child, and because it feels like systemic justice isn't happening fast enough.Police officers reportedly used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd.Police Commissioner Martin Doll rejected suggestions that police had provoked the violence, while Chief Minister Leah Finocchiaro praised the wider community's efforts to find Little Girl.

police, who cited concerns for his safety.Now local leaders are calling for calm.The grieving family put out a statement saying they were devastated by their little girl's death, saying they know she's in heaven and that they'll meet again one day.As the family continues to mourn, the nation mourns with them.