'Clear pathway for reform' after fatal police shooting
Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then-constable Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest at a home in Yuendumu, 300km northwest of Alice Springs, in November 2019.
Handing down her findings into the 19-year-old's death, Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found Mr Rolfe was racist, and could not rule out that these attitudes contributed to Mr Walker's death.
Mr Walker's family briefly addressed the media after the 600-page findings were handed down but said they would take some time before commenting further on Tuesday.
"We're all feeling really exhausted and quite overwhelmed and there is so much that we need to go through," Mr Walker's cousin Samara Fernandez-Brown said.
In delivering her findings on Monday, Judge Armitage said Mr Walker's death was avoidable.
But Mr Rolfe was not just "a bad apple", she said, he worked in an organisation with "the hallmarks of institutionalised racism".
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss said her heart was breaking for the family of Kumanjayi Walker and the community of Yuendumu.
"Racism is running rife in our institutions, and it lies at the heart of these shocking injustices," Ms Kiss said.
"These findings, delivered on the lands of Yuendumu people - Kumanjayi Walker's people – not only outline who, and what, is to blame, but offer a clear pathway for reform."
Ms Kiss said she hoped the coroner's findings would help prevent further tragedies.
"Without an evidence and human rights based approach to justice and corrections, the unacceptable over representation of our peoples in custody, and dying in custody, will remain a national shame," she said.
"(Judge Armitage's) findings must be the final alarm. This must end."
The NT Police force said it would "carefully consider" the coroner's 32 recommendations, which included consulting with Yuendumu community leadership about when it may be appropriate for police not to carry firearms.
A draft anti-racism strategy developed with the assistance of NT Aboriginal organisations will soon be released for broader consultation.
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