Findings loom on Indigenous teen fatally shot by police
A coroner will return to the outback to hand down her findings into the death of an Indigenous teenager shot by a police officer during a botched arrest.
Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker died after being shot three times at close range by then-constable Zachary Rolfe during a botched arrest at a home in the Northern Territory community of Yuendumu in November 2019.
In March 2022, an NT Supreme Court jury acquitted Mr Rolfe of murdering the 19-year-old.
NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage in November closed her long-running inquest to consider more than 5000 pages of transcripts and 1990 pages of written submissions.
An NT courts spokesperson said on Thursday that Judge Armitage would deliver her findings on June 10.
Judge Armitage accepted an invitation from the Parumpurru Committee of Yuendumu to deliver her findings in the remote town where she heard some of the evidence.
Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer previously told the inquest that Mr Rolfe's character should be considered as a direct cause of death.
"Mr Rolfe was a man whose ego was wrapped up in his use of force, and who took pride in and derived a sense of worth from expressing his dominance over others," she said.
"They were generally Aboriginal men and he expressed that dominance with the use of force."
Counsel for Northern Territory Police previously told Judge Armitage "it is absolutely undeniable that Mr Rolfe is a racist" based on his derogatory text messages about Indigenous people.
Mr Rolfe's solicitor Luke Officer told the coroner racism could not be considered under the Coroner's Act, which only permits her to investigate the cause of death.
"There's no need to inquire into whether racism played a part ... there is no direct evidence of that, it has no relevance to cause of death," Mr Officer said.
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ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Injustice ignored
Now to sad news in the Top End. SAMANTHA DICK: A family's heartache over the death in custody of a young Warlpiri man from Yuendumu now referred to as Kumanjayi White. NED HARGRAVES: Hear us, this cannot keep going - ABC News NT, 30 May 2025 Two weeks ago a 24-year-old intellectually disabled Aboriginal man died after being restrained by plain-clothes police in an Alice Springs supermarket. His awful death was the top story on the ABC's local news that night: OLIVANA LATHOURIS: … NT Police are investigating, with the Coles supermarket tonight shut to customers and declared a crime scene … - ABC News NT, 27 May 2025 It remains unclear as to what exactly occurred. Witnesses told The NT News a police officer had placed his 'knee behind the man's head' even as his friends called out a warning that he had a disability. The family have demanded the footage of the incident be released while police claim Kumanjayi White had assaulted a security guard who'd caught him caching items in his clothing. TRAVIS WURST: … the male behaved rather aggressively and was placed onto the ground by those police officers. He was later identified as losing consciousness … - ABC News NT, 27 May 2025 Kumanjayi White died 70 minutes later. Across Australia… there had already been 12 Indigenous deaths in custody in just the first five months of this year which is why the ABC has been absolutely right to give this story full-throated coverage, with developments in the case leading the Darwin news night after night as a family mourned and calls for an inquiry gathered pace: MALARNDIRRI McCARTHY: … an independent investigation may be warranted … - ABC News NT, 29 May 2025 KYLE DOWLING: Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour also joined those calls today calling for Federal police officers to conduct the investigation … - ABC News NT, 4 June 2025 Meanwhile the despairing and the outraged joined rallies that moved from the top end to capital cities around the country. The ABC took the issue national, featuring it on its breakfast news program and both SBS and Sky News also recognised this story's importance including in its echoes of another death in custody. MATT CUNNINGHAM: … the man who was killed last week, or who died last week, is from Yuendumu, the same community where Kumanjayi Walker was shot dead in 2019 … - NewsDay, Sky News Australia, 2 June 2025 But the millions of Australians who rely on free-to-air commercial TV for their breakfast news and primetime evening bulletins have been left in the dark with not a whisper we could find of Kumanjayi White's brutal passing not on Sunrise not on Today and not on any of the main evening bulletins broadcast by all three commercial networks including Seven News in Melbourne and Ten News in Melbourne. And why have we singled out Victoria's capital? Because all last week both Seven and Ten beamed their Melbourne news into the Northern Territory having pulled the plug on their Darwin bulletin and Darwin bureaux years ago. Channel Nine which extinguished its Darwin bulletin only five months ago also missed the story even though it promised in February that it would: … retain a reporter and camera operator on the ground to tell the Territory's stories to a national audience. - Email, Nine spokesperson, 3 February 2025 Now it seems Nine is struggling to fulfil even this meagre commitment because we've confirmed its last staff reporter in the Territory has left and not been replaced. A spokesperson for Nine told us: Nine remains committed to finding a viable long-term solution for a news presence in the Northern Territory. As we evolve our business to reflect the commercial realities of newsgathering, we are working through resourcing and hope to have a resolution soon … - Email, Nine spokesperson, 9 June 2025 But might there be some positive news on the commercial television front? Because last month Seven announced it was acquiring TV licences from Southern Cross Media across a sweep of regional Australia including for South Australia far western NSW and yes for Darwin. Although it might also be worth noting that Seven West Media's press announcement contained no mention of any ambition to open new bureaux or tell more local stories. Instead, its focus was on: '… our valued advertising partners and media buyers will be able to seamlessly reach and target these new and attractive audiences …' - Seven West Media Press Release, 6 May 2025 How very heartening. Over the weekend and after we sent questions to the commercial networks, Seven and Ten developed an interest in Kumanjayi White's death with both networks publishing stories about his passing, the protests it prompted and about yet another Indigenous death in custody again in the NT recorded just 48 hours ago. On this program we examine poor journalism and lazy journalism but for the very many in the NT who rely on free-to-air commercial news the picture is even more troubling because they're getting very little journalism altogether not even about our most abiding national shame.
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Man who died in police custody was a dedicated educator
An Aboriginal man who died after police prevented him from boarding a flight was a senior Wadeye elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community. A death-in-custody investigation is under way after federal police stopped the 68-year-old from joining a flight out of Darwin on May 30, on reports he was intoxicated. He was taken into "protective custody" but on arrival at Royal Darwin Hospital he was found to be unconscious, prompting medical staff to commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the intensive care unit for ongoing treatment for a suspected medical event but died there on Saturday. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a postmortem," Northern Territory police have said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." The AFP has said the man was not arrested and was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Aboriginal leaders from the Top End's Daly region have expressed their communities' grief over the loss of the elder - referred to as TN after his death. Thamarrurr Development Corporation representing Wangga, Lirrga, Wulthirri and Tharnpa peoples confirmed in a statement he was a "much loved and respected senior man, who was a mentor to us all". "A great visionary and educator, a campaigner for a better life for his community and a respected leader, he will be greatly missed." TN was a champion for bilingual education and had produced children's books in local tribal language. In 2007 he took part in a racial discrimination action in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission arguing Wadeye children received less than half the school funding received by other NT children. Then-federal education minister Peter Garrett announced the community would get a $7.7 million funding package in exchange for dropping its complaint. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan said TN, who had been a council member, was a "quiet achiever" whose legacy would live on. "My heart goes out to his loved ones and all mob across the Wadeye and Darwin Daly regions." Opposition leader Selena Uibo said TN's loss would be "be felt deeply across the territory". "He was a respected and strong leader - valued for the guidance he provided to those he worked alongside and the outcomes he helped deliver for his community," Ms Uibo said. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government recognised the "pain and grief being felt" and her thoughts were with the man's family and loved ones. Catholic Bishop of Darwin Charles Gauci said he had known TN for many years and he was "deeply saddened at his death". "I was able to accompany him on the last day of his life, I was in the hospital with his wife and family and to pray with him and to be there with them, walking with them at this very significant time," he told the ABC. "He believed in education as empowerment and he was an educator for many years himself. "He was co-principal at the school at Wadeye and really contributed deeply and widely there for the education of young people." NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Aboriginal man who died after police prevented him from boarding a flight was a senior Wadeye elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community. A death-in-custody investigation is under way after federal police stopped the 68-year-old from joining a flight out of Darwin on May 30, on reports he was intoxicated. He was taken into "protective custody" but on arrival at Royal Darwin Hospital he was found to be unconscious, prompting medical staff to commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the intensive care unit for ongoing treatment for a suspected medical event but died there on Saturday. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a postmortem," Northern Territory police have said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." The AFP has said the man was not arrested and was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Aboriginal leaders from the Top End's Daly region have expressed their communities' grief over the loss of the elder - referred to as TN after his death. Thamarrurr Development Corporation representing Wangga, Lirrga, Wulthirri and Tharnpa peoples confirmed in a statement he was a "much loved and respected senior man, who was a mentor to us all". "A great visionary and educator, a campaigner for a better life for his community and a respected leader, he will be greatly missed." TN was a champion for bilingual education and had produced children's books in local tribal language. In 2007 he took part in a racial discrimination action in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission arguing Wadeye children received less than half the school funding received by other NT children. Then-federal education minister Peter Garrett announced the community would get a $7.7 million funding package in exchange for dropping its complaint. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan said TN, who had been a council member, was a "quiet achiever" whose legacy would live on. "My heart goes out to his loved ones and all mob across the Wadeye and Darwin Daly regions." Opposition leader Selena Uibo said TN's loss would be "be felt deeply across the territory". "He was a respected and strong leader - valued for the guidance he provided to those he worked alongside and the outcomes he helped deliver for his community," Ms Uibo said. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government recognised the "pain and grief being felt" and her thoughts were with the man's family and loved ones. Catholic Bishop of Darwin Charles Gauci said he had known TN for many years and he was "deeply saddened at his death". "I was able to accompany him on the last day of his life, I was in the hospital with his wife and family and to pray with him and to be there with them, walking with them at this very significant time," he told the ABC. "He believed in education as empowerment and he was an educator for many years himself. "He was co-principal at the school at Wadeye and really contributed deeply and widely there for the education of young people." NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Aboriginal man who died after police prevented him from boarding a flight was a senior Wadeye elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community. A death-in-custody investigation is under way after federal police stopped the 68-year-old from joining a flight out of Darwin on May 30, on reports he was intoxicated. He was taken into "protective custody" but on arrival at Royal Darwin Hospital he was found to be unconscious, prompting medical staff to commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the intensive care unit for ongoing treatment for a suspected medical event but died there on Saturday. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a postmortem," Northern Territory police have said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." The AFP has said the man was not arrested and was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Aboriginal leaders from the Top End's Daly region have expressed their communities' grief over the loss of the elder - referred to as TN after his death. Thamarrurr Development Corporation representing Wangga, Lirrga, Wulthirri and Tharnpa peoples confirmed in a statement he was a "much loved and respected senior man, who was a mentor to us all". "A great visionary and educator, a campaigner for a better life for his community and a respected leader, he will be greatly missed." TN was a champion for bilingual education and had produced children's books in local tribal language. In 2007 he took part in a racial discrimination action in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission arguing Wadeye children received less than half the school funding received by other NT children. Then-federal education minister Peter Garrett announced the community would get a $7.7 million funding package in exchange for dropping its complaint. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan said TN, who had been a council member, was a "quiet achiever" whose legacy would live on. "My heart goes out to his loved ones and all mob across the Wadeye and Darwin Daly regions." Opposition leader Selena Uibo said TN's loss would be "be felt deeply across the territory". "He was a respected and strong leader - valued for the guidance he provided to those he worked alongside and the outcomes he helped deliver for his community," Ms Uibo said. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government recognised the "pain and grief being felt" and her thoughts were with the man's family and loved ones. Catholic Bishop of Darwin Charles Gauci said he had known TN for many years and he was "deeply saddened at his death". "I was able to accompany him on the last day of his life, I was in the hospital with his wife and family and to pray with him and to be there with them, walking with them at this very significant time," he told the ABC. "He believed in education as empowerment and he was an educator for many years himself. "He was co-principal at the school at Wadeye and really contributed deeply and widely there for the education of young people." NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 An Aboriginal man who died after police prevented him from boarding a flight was a senior Wadeye elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community. A death-in-custody investigation is under way after federal police stopped the 68-year-old from joining a flight out of Darwin on May 30, on reports he was intoxicated. He was taken into "protective custody" but on arrival at Royal Darwin Hospital he was found to be unconscious, prompting medical staff to commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the intensive care unit for ongoing treatment for a suspected medical event but died there on Saturday. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a postmortem," Northern Territory police have said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." The AFP has said the man was not arrested and was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Aboriginal leaders from the Top End's Daly region have expressed their communities' grief over the loss of the elder - referred to as TN after his death. Thamarrurr Development Corporation representing Wangga, Lirrga, Wulthirri and Tharnpa peoples confirmed in a statement he was a "much loved and respected senior man, who was a mentor to us all". "A great visionary and educator, a campaigner for a better life for his community and a respected leader, he will be greatly missed." TN was a champion for bilingual education and had produced children's books in local tribal language. In 2007 he took part in a racial discrimination action in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission arguing Wadeye children received less than half the school funding received by other NT children. Then-federal education minister Peter Garrett announced the community would get a $7.7 million funding package in exchange for dropping its complaint. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan said TN, who had been a council member, was a "quiet achiever" whose legacy would live on. "My heart goes out to his loved ones and all mob across the Wadeye and Darwin Daly regions." Opposition leader Selena Uibo said TN's loss would be "be felt deeply across the territory". "He was a respected and strong leader - valued for the guidance he provided to those he worked alongside and the outcomes he helped deliver for his community," Ms Uibo said. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government recognised the "pain and grief being felt" and her thoughts were with the man's family and loved ones. Catholic Bishop of Darwin Charles Gauci said he had known TN for many years and he was "deeply saddened at his death". "I was able to accompany him on the last day of his life, I was in the hospital with his wife and family and to pray with him and to be there with them, walking with them at this very significant time," he told the ABC. "He believed in education as empowerment and he was an educator for many years himself. "He was co-principal at the school at Wadeye and really contributed deeply and widely there for the education of young people." NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
West Australian
7 hours ago
- West Australian
Man who died in police custody was a dedicated educator
An Aboriginal man who died after police prevented him from boarding a flight was a senior Wadeye elder who lobbied for bilingual schooling and better education funding for his community. A death-in-custody investigation is under way after federal police stopped the 68-year-old from joining a flight out of Darwin on May 30, on reports he was intoxicated. He was taken into "protective custody" but on arrival at Royal Darwin Hospital he was found to be unconscious, prompting medical staff to commence CPR, with resuscitation efforts proving successful. He was transferred to the intensive care unit for ongoing treatment for a suspected medical event but died there on Saturday. "The cause of the man's death remains undetermined pending a postmortem," Northern Territory police have said. "The incident is being investigated as a death in custody as the man was in the custody of the AFP at the time of him first losing consciousness." The AFP has said the man was not arrested and was "not restrained at any point by AFP officers". Aboriginal leaders from the Top End's Daly region have expressed their communities' grief over the loss of the elder - referred to as TN after his death. Thamarrurr Development Corporation representing Wangga, Lirrga, Wulthirri and Tharnpa peoples confirmed in a statement he was a "much loved and respected senior man, who was a mentor to us all". "A great visionary and educator, a campaigner for a better life for his community and a respected leader, he will be greatly missed." TN was a champion for bilingual education and had produced children's books in local tribal language. In 2007 he took part in a racial discrimination action in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission arguing Wadeye children received less than half the school funding received by other NT children. Then-federal education minister Peter Garrett announced the community would get a $7.7 million funding package in exchange for dropping its complaint. Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan said TN, who had been a council member, was a "quiet achiever" whose legacy would live on. "My heart goes out to his loved ones and all mob across the Wadeye and Darwin Daly regions." Opposition leader Selena Uibo said TN's loss would be "be felt deeply across the territory". "He was a respected and strong leader - valued for the guidance he provided to those he worked alongside and the outcomes he helped deliver for his community," Ms Uibo said. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said her government recognised the "pain and grief being felt" and her thoughts were with the man's family and loved ones. Catholic Bishop of Darwin Charles Gauci said he had known TN for many years and he was "deeply saddened at his death". "I was able to accompany him on the last day of his life, I was in the hospital with his wife and family and to pray with him and to be there with them, walking with them at this very significant time," he told the ABC. "He believed in education as empowerment and he was an educator for many years himself. "He was co-principal at the school at Wadeye and really contributed deeply and widely there for the education of young people." NT Police will prepare a report for the coroner. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
