UPDATE: An 11-year-old boy was killed at the Moulden shopping centre on Tuesday after a driver drove forward instead for reversing, pinning the child to a wall, with the male driver allegedly recording an initial positive test result for having taken drugs, NT Police said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Brendan Lindner told the media that about 12:45pm the 11-year-old boy was hit as a 54-year-old driver of a ute was “negotiating reversing out of a car park close to the front door”.

“For reasons we’ve yet to determine, instead of reversing, the car has lurched forward and tragically has struck an 11-year-old boy who was walking immediately in front of the car,” he said.

“It’s lurched forward a few metres across the walkway, pinning him against the wall, where he’s suffered horrific injuries.

“He tragically has died as a result of those injuries.”

Snr Sgt Lindner said police tested the the man for alcohol and drugs and he “returned a result that indicated positive for drugs”.

“He was arrested… [and] taken to hospital where a sample of blood has been taken, which will be subjected to forensic toxicological analysis,” he said.

He did not say what drugs the man allegedly tested positive for.

Snr Sgt Lindner said police and St John Ambulance were unable to revive the child.

“Tragically there was nothing they could do,” he said.

Snr Sgt Lindner said some of the boy’s family were in the car park at the time, and there were other witnesses.

“It’s a horrific incident, it’s a horrific death, towards the end of the year, five days out from Christmas,” he said.