The daughter of a Darwin supermarket owner who was fatally stabbed on Wednesday has paid tribute to him as a beloved father, husband and grandfather, sharing the family's heartbreak at the "horrific tragedy".
Linford Feick, 71, was fatally stabbed at his store, the Territory Friendly Grocer in Nightcliff, on Wednesday afternoon, after confronting a man allegedly shoplifting.
Police arrested an 18-year-old man that night and charged him with murder on Thursday evening.
In a post to social media, Joanne Feick said the family was devastated by her father's loss, but grateful for the outpouring of support from the tight-knit northern suburbs community.
"Words cannot describe the utmost overwhelming love our family are receiving from the Nightcliff community," she said in the post.
"We sincerely appreciate all the kind words and heartfelt emotion everyone is sharing.
"Dad was a man of kindness, sincerity, love and did nothing but advocate for keeping it local.
"To everyone who has supported our family business, we thank you."
Ms Feick said every member of "our supermarket 'family'" knew "how much of an amazing human he was".
"Our hearts go out to our rock-solid staff who we can't thank enough for being there during this dark journey," she said.
"We are at a loss navigating these uncharted waters knowing that this will be a long, political road.
"We have lost a dad, a husband and a Poppy. Our hearts are breaking for this unjust tragedy."
'Overwhelming love' from community
Nightcliff residents and friends of Mr Feick have gathered to lay floral tributes and express their deep shock and sadness in recent days.
On Thursday, Mr Feick's customers lingered outside his store to remember a man they called "the best guy in the world" and a "true legend" with a "heart of gold".
"How many more lives do we have to lose? How many people have to be killed?" fellow Nightcliff business owner Katarina Tererakis said.
"It's just devastating, we are shocked, heartbroken, speechless."
Ms Tererakis said she had experienced "numerous episodes a day" in her own business and "had no support, no help".
"I don't want to live here anymore, my children don't want to live here anymore," she said.
"Darwin's been a beautiful city. My family grew up here, had a good lifestyle. This puts you off, you don't want to stay here anymore. What for? You're at risk every single day.
"He's got a beautiful family, his staff. We're all like family, just an amazing human being, tragic loss. What a waste. Like, why?"
Longtime resident Terry McEnroe said the grocer was "a meeting place, it's a community heart, everybody comes here".
"I felt shocked but then not surprised. It could happen to me. It could happen, because of the situation at the moment," he said.
"I do a lot of walking, I don't feel safe on the roads when I'm walking, even in the daytime, you've got to watch your step."
Mr McEnroe said he wanted to see solutions other than just locking more people up.
"What are you going to do? You've got to let them out sometime," he said.
"I'd like to see some positive results on both sides, politics and the incarcerated. There's got to be a lot more empathy on both sides."
At a candlelight vigil on Thursday evening, loyal customer Ray Brodie said he wanted to pay his respects and let Mr Feick's family know he was there for them.
"He was just a gentleman and he had time for a chat, he was just a pillar of society really,"
he said.
Local member of parliament Kat McNamara said she spent the morning speaking with her constituents who had expressed "a lot of shock, a lot of grief".
"People who are working in retail and hospitality are not feeling safe and people are just absolutely distraught for Linford's family," she said.
"The grocery's just one of those local businesses that everyone is really grateful for and loves going to, so the shock waves of this are reverberating through the entire community."
Ms McNamara said the less safe residents felt, the more divided the community had become.
"I talk to people all the time who feel like things perhaps are changing and not for the better," she said.
"There's something deeper too that needs to be done around people's sense of belonging in a community.
"How do we work together to ensure that people feel an ownership and feel welcome and a sense of belonging together as part of this community?
"I worry that that's falling away."
