Latest news with #Yuendumu
ABC News
14 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
After another Yuendumu death in custody, Australia must confront some harsh truths
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the names of Indigenous people who have died, used with the permission of their families. In November 2019, the shooting death of a 19-year-old Aboriginal man in the remote Central Australian community of Yuendumu by a police officer sent shock waves around the nation. Kumanjayi Walker's shooting was investigated as a death in custody and the officer who pulled the trigger, Zachary Rolfe, was charged with his murder before being acquitted by a jury in 2022. The Supreme Court trial was followed by the longest-running coronial inquest in the Northern Territory's history — an inquiry which brought to the surface shocking allegations of racism in the NT Police Force (NTPF). The findings from Mr Walker's inquest are due to be handed down in less than a fortnight, on June 10, but whether that goes ahead as planned in Yuendumu is now up in the air. On Tuesday, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man with a disability, also hailing from Yuendumu, died after being restrained by police officers in aisle four of one of Alice Springs' main supermarkets. The NTPF has said plain-clothed officers were responding after Kumanjayi White — Kumanjayi being a western desert name for somebody who has died — allegedly assaulted a security guard in the store, after being confronted for shoplifting. This incident is now also being investigated as a death in custody. Police say forensic pathology results pinpointing the man's cause of death could still be weeks away after an initial autopsy was inconclusive. In the shadow of the Kumanjayi Walker inquest, a number of similarities stand out — more than just the men's young age and the fact they came from the same remote First Nations community. Both men also faced continued interaction with the justice system during their young lives. Mr White had faced court on charges of aggravated assault and assaulting police as recently as this year, which were ultimately withdrawn due to his disability. He had previously spent time on remand over charges related to dangerous driving and a police pursuit. Both men's deaths have also rocked the wider Central Australian community with ripples of grief and outcry. The political reactions to each man's death have also borne some similarities, as well as some starkly different approaches by the leaders of the NT government. In 2019, then-chief minister Michael Gunner travelled to Yuendumu in the wake of Mr Walker's shooting and gave a speech to community members promising justice. His promise that "consequences will flow" led to accusations of political interference when it came to a murder charge being laid against Mr Rolfe, which haunted the NT government. Since Mr White's death, current chief minister Lia Finocchiaro has chosen her words more carefully. Ms Finocchiaro has offered her condolences and said she wants the investigation to run its course but has not yet travelled to Central Australia. Instead she spent the week attending a gas conference and the NRL State of Origin in Brisbane. While there have been calls for an independent investigation to take place at arms length from police, Ms Finocchiaro is yet to give any indication that proposal will be taken up. The NTPF has been firm in rejecting calls for an external inquiry. A coronial inquest into Mr White's death will likely eventually look into the broader circumstances that led to it and perhaps seek to answer some pertinent questions. One such question being, how did a young man with a disability and on a guardianship order manage to come into contact with the criminal justice system multiple times during his young life, including stints behind bars on remand? If anything has been learned from Mr Walker's inquest, it is that during the months that follow this latest death in custody, Australia must be prepared to confront multiple uncomfortable truths about systems in place in the remote NT.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
NT police rule out independent investigation into Alice Springs death in custody
NT police have rejected calls for an independent investigation into the death of an Aboriginal man in police custody after being restrained at an Alice Springs supermarket this week. The 24-year-old from Yuendumu — who is yet to be named by family — died on Tuesday after he was restrained by NT police officers following an altercation with a supermarket security guard. One eye witness told the ABC the restraint "looked pretty violent". On Wednesday Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said he would lead the investigation and "provide oversight" along with NT Police's Professional Standards Command, separately to the coronial investigation. There have been calls from advocates, including Amnesty International, for the investigation to be conducted independently from NT police to "ensure impartiality and to maintain public confidence in the process". Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said on Thursday an independent investigation into the man's death could be the best path forward. Senator McCarthy said the people of Yuendumu had already experienced "many traumas", and that wounds were reopened this week. She said the best way to navigate the complex issues at play may be to take the investigation out of the Northern Territory police's hands. Ms McCarthy did not suggest which agency should investigate instead, saying that decision would lie with NT Chief Minister and Police Minister Lia Finocchiaro. "I am calling on her to recognise the tensions that do exist, that I've certainly heard from family members, but also are very aware of the difficulties for members of the police force as well," she said. Amid a vigil in Alice Springs that saw hundreds of mourners gather to give speeches and grieve the young man's death, NT police released a statement on behalf of Acting Commissioner Martin Dole, who said he "respectfully" rejects calls for an independent investigation. "The Northern Territory Police Force acknowledges the tragic death of a 24-year-old man in Alice Springs on Tuesday," the statement said. "On behalf of NT police, I extend sincere condolences to his family, friends and community. "I contacted both officers directly involved in the incident on Tuesday evening, and I understand the high level of public interest in this matter. Some of the speakers at the vigil in Alice Springs on Friday had echoed calls for the independent investigation. The acting commissioner said the incident would continue to be investigated by the major crime division. He said the unit "operates under strict protocols and with full transparency". "The investigation will also be independently reviewed by the NT Coroner, who has broad powers to examine all aspects of the incident and make findings without interference." The acting commissioner said he had met with Senator McCarthy, conveying his "complete confidence in the systems of oversight".
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Mourners gather for vigil in Alice Springs after death of Warlpiri man in police custody
The family of a 24-year-old Warlpiri man who died in police custody in Alice Springs this week has called for mourners to gather "in solidarity" to pay their respects. The 24-year-old from Yuendumu died on Tuesday after he was restrained by NT police officers following an altercation with a supermarket security guard. NT police say the man was placing items down the front of his clothing at the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs, when he was confronted by security guards. Two police officers in plain clothes were in the supermarket at the time and restrained the man. One eye witness told the ABC the restraint "looked pretty violent". "I think he may have swung at the security guard but I don't know if he actually hit him," another eye witness told the ABC. "Then I saw a bald man in a grey hoodie come up behind him and wrapped his arms around his torso in like a bear hug. "And then there was a bit of a tussle as he was trying to bring him to ground." The man was taken to Alice Springs Hospital where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy on Wednesday found the man's cause of death "undetermined". NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst has said that preliminary result would require "further investigation to provide any substantive cause of death". The grandfather of the 24-year-old, Warlpiri elder Ned Hargraves, has helped organise the vigil. "I am devastated by the death of my Jaja (grandson), another Warlpiri man who has had his life taken at the hands of the NT police," a statement posted on his behalf by the @justiceforwalker_ Instagram account. "I will be going to pay my respects for my Jaja tomorrow at midday, at the location he was taken from us. "Please join me in solidarity, to mourn, to remember him, and to give me strength."
The Age
3 days ago
- The Age
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.' Loading 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.'
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
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.' Loading 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.'
