Accused gunman Ben Hoffmann is believed to have known two of the four men he is accused of shooting and killing in a bloody rampage in Darwin this week.
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One of the men he knew, 52-year-old Darwin casino security guard Rob Courtney, appears to have fought for his life and stabbed Hoffmann after he charged in.
Hoffman has undergone surgery in a Darwin hospital for knife wounds since being Tasered and arrested by police on Tuesday night, which delayed detectives interviewing and charging him until Thursday.
Northern Territory Police charged 45-year-old Hoffmann with four counts of murder.
The four killings occurred in about 30 minutes with the gunman appearing to target specific locations with police believing he was affected by the drug ice, which he has a history of using.
Police have not ruled out an accomplice being involved because the ammunition used was purchased by a "well known associate" and given to the gunman, police commissioner Reece Kershaw said.
"That person has been spoken to and obviously we are looking at all avenues in relation to that individual," he said.
When asked about the gunman's motives, he said there was potentially disputes relating to drug debts and a woman.
"There is a bit of both there. There is drugs, I think, I am speculating here, but we are following those two lines," Mr Kershaw said.
The violence started at 5.39pm Tuesday at the Palms Motel where Hoffmann allegedly shot and killed taxi driver Hassan Baydoun, 33, who was on a meal break.
Mr Baydoun's cousin Abdallah Salman said his relative did not know the shooter and was accidentally caught up in the shootings as the alleged gunman went from room to room firing his gun and shouting for a person named Alex.
A 23-year-old woman at the Palms who police do not believe knew Hoffmann was shot in the legs and remains in hospital.
The shooter went on to kill Nigel Hellings, 75, in Gardens Hill Crescent less than a kilometre away, at what might have been the former home of an associate.
He then killed Michael Sisois, 57, who knew Hoffmann after previously working together, a few hundred metres away in the car park of the Buff Club.
He then drove two kilometres to Woolner where he tried to enter police headquarters, kicking the door before phoning duty superintendent Lee Morgan who negotiated with him and alerted police to his location.
Mr Courtney was facing a charge of attempted sexual intercourse without consent and was due in court on Thursday.
The person named Alex who Hoffmann was looking for in the days leading up to the killings was interstate and was charged a fortnight ago in Darwin with various traffic and drug offences.
Vincent Sisois, the brother of Mr Sisois, angrily asked why Hoffmann had been released from prison on parole recently given he was known to be dangerous and violent.
"Why was he let out, they knew something would happen and they let him out. Why?" Mr Sisois said.
The NT government has asked for a report from the Parole Board on Hoffmann and to review all people on parole, however Attorney-General Natasha Fyles defended the system on Thursday.
"Internationally, evidence shows that an individual released into the community with support was a greater prospect for reintegration," Ms Fyles said.
Hoffmann was picked up for speeding in the hours before the killings, while wearing an electronic monitoring device, and his suspicious behaviour in Humpty Doo that morning prompted calls to police.
"He was not displaying any adverse behaviour," NT Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw told reporters on Thursday.
Hoffmann will appear in court via video link on Friday morning charged with murder, recklessly endangering serious harm and criminal damage.
Australian Associated Press
