Second death in custody shatters tiny outback community
An Aboriginal community reeling after losing a second young man in a fatal police incident wants funding restored for programs to help youths avoid the criminal justice system.
Widespread anger has been sparked after a 24-year-old mentally disabled man was forced to the floor of an Alice Springs supermarket by two plain-clothes police officers and fell unconscious.
The man - originally from the small desert town of Yuendumu - died about an hour later at Alice Springs Hospital on Tuesday, sparking a police investigation.
The man, who is understood to have been under a guardianship order and on an NDIS plan, allegedly assaulted a security guard who accused him of shoplifting.
Police late on Thursday alleged the man assaulted a woman not known to him in the Alice Springs CBD prior to the Coles incident.
The cause of the man's death was still undetermined, police said.
The Yuendumu community lost a young man in police custody in 2019 when 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest.
Mr Rolfe was found not guilty on all charges over the death in 2022.
The latest death has prompted the Yuendumu community to consider postponing a June 10 visit by Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage to announce her findings in the Walker case.
Yuendumu elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, the grandfather of the man who died on Tuesday, has called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to the family so they can understand what happened.
Mr Hargraves told AAP his shattered community was talking about postponing the June 10 coroner's event "because of all these troubles happening right now, it's too much".
He said his community had put forward many solutions to improve relations with the justice system but they had been ignored.
In 2024, Yuendumu was approved under an NT government act to establish a law and justice group and was given a small grant, but the new Country Liberal Party government removed the funding without consultation, he said.
A Yuendumu cultural authority based on traditional decision-making had been set up to be the front door to the community "but sadly our continued requests for resources to develop this authority had been ignored", Mr Hargraves said.
NT Police said they had been in contact with the man's family and visited the Yuendumu community to provide an update.
"Our thoughts are with the deceased's family, our members and the entire Alice Springs community and we thank them for their patience as we work through this investigation," Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said.
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The Advertiser
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Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral. Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott. "We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP. Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him. The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest. "In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said. "The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention. "(You) will always be heroes of this state." French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events. "They acted not out of duty, but out of instinct," he said. The pair's actions in attempting to hold back the assailant prompted French President Emmanuel Macron at the time to commend the courage of the compatriots. They join a long list of renowned recipients of the award in the last six decades including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and actress Isabelle Huppert. Mr Guerot confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promptly followed through on his promise of granting him permanent residency for saving lives. Even though, Mr Despreaux is eligible for citizenship he is waiting for Mr Guerot to share another crucial milestone together. When he first came out to Australia, softly spoken Mr Guerot said he brought a small stuffed toy rooster to remind him of France and he has added two more animals that symbolise what he has gone through. "I have three emblems in my heart - the rooster, the kangaroo and emu - animals that never move backwards. Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral. Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott. "We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP. 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"They acted not out of duty, but out of instinct," he said. The pair's actions in attempting to hold back the assailant prompted French President Emmanuel Macron at the time to commend the courage of the compatriots. They join a long list of renowned recipients of the award in the last six decades including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and actress Isabelle Huppert. Mr Guerot confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promptly followed through on his promise of granting him permanent residency for saving lives. Even though, Mr Despreaux is eligible for citizenship he is waiting for Mr Guerot to share another crucial milestone together. When he first came out to Australia, softly spoken Mr Guerot said he brought a small stuffed toy rooster to remind him of France and he has added two more animals that symbolise what he has gone through. "I have three emblems in my heart - the rooster, the kangaroo and emu - animals that never move backwards. Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral. Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott. "We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP. Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him. The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest. "In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said. "The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention. "(You) will always be heroes of this state." French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events. 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Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral. Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott. "We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP. Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him. The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest. "In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said. "The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention. "(You) will always be heroes of this state." French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events. 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France honours Bondi mall stabbing 'bollard' heroes
Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, on Thursday at NSW parliament for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. Footage of the construction workers coming face to face with the attacker atop an escalator during his killing spree at Westfield Bondi Junction went viral. Cauchi, who had a history of acute mental health disorders and was off his medication, knifed 10 other victims in the indiscriminate attack before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott. "We were defending ourselves because we were thinking he (Cauchi) was coming after us and the first thing we saw were the bollards," 32-year-old Mr Guerot told AAP. Mr Despreaux, 33, who grew in Ukraine as a youngster with his father who was a charity worker, said "adrenaline" drove them to act tradies were at the mall to buy a new laptop but their day quickly turned into a blood-soaked episode when they saw Mr Cauchi stab a few victims and stood only a few metres away from them before the lone police officer, Ms Scott, killed him. The fallout from the mass stabbing is being examined in an ongoing coronial inquest. "In the hour of danger when dozens of lives were at risk... they ran towards the violence, they chose to put their lives on the line," Premier Chris Minns said. "The sad and hard truth is we don't know how bad this tragedy could've been without their intervention. "(You) will always be heroes of this state." French Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert, who presented the blue coloured medals to the two French friends, praised them for their humility and deliberately staying out of the limelight after the events. "They acted not out of duty, but out of instinct," he said. The pair's actions in attempting to hold back the assailant prompted French President Emmanuel Macron at the time to commend the courage of the compatriots. They join a long list of renowned recipients of the award in the last six decades including oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and actress Isabelle Huppert. Mr Guerot confirmed that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promptly followed through on his promise of granting him permanent residency for saving lives. Even though, Mr Despreaux is eligible for citizenship he is waiting for Mr Guerot to share another crucial milestone together. When he first came out to Australia, softly spoken Mr Guerot said he brought a small stuffed toy rooster to remind him of France and he has added two more animals that symbolise what he has gone through. "I have three emblems in my heart - the rooster, the kangaroo and emu - animals that never move backwards. Together they keep me going forward with courage, pride and hope." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
