Grieving grandfather demands answers after death in custody of disabled Indigenous man
Uncle Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves is desperate for answers as to why his vulnerable grandson was alone with police, and why First Nations people are left grieving yet another death in custody.
Hargraves, a Warlpiri elder, said his family and many other people in Central Australia were devastated by the loss of his 24-year-old 'jaja' (grandson), who died while in police custody in Alice Springs on Tuesday.
'I am angry and frustrated that yet another one of our young men has lost his life at the hands of the police,' Hargraves said.
'We are demanding answers and justice.'
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Two plainclothes Northern Territory police were restraining the young Yuendumu man inside an Alice Springs Coles supermarket about 1.10pm on Tuesday when they noticed he had stopped breathing.
The Indigenous man was taken to hospital but died an hour later.
In a statement on Thursday paying tribute to his grandson, Hargraves said his family demanded accountability for the death.
'We know that he was held down by two police until he lost consciousness and perished. But at the moment, we are in the dark about what really happened.'
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