A warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers – this story includes the name and image of an Aboriginal person who has died. The Northern Territory coroner has adjourned an inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker for the final time before delivering her findings and recommendations. Kumanjayi Walker was shot and killed by former police officer Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest in the remote central Australian community of Yuendumu in 2019. Mr Rolfe was acquitted of all criminal charges following a supreme court trial. This week, the coroner was urged to find "the truth" after hearing evidence from more than 70 witnesses over two years.
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00:00For two years, these lawns have been a place for family and community of Kumonjai Walker,
00:07wedged between the court and the police station, a space for people to show support and share
00:13information about confronting evidence unfolding inside the courtroom.
00:17Since it began in 2022, those on the lawns have called for truth-telling and answers
00:23about how and why 19-year-old Kumonjai Walker was shot by a police officer he'd never met
00:29until the night of his death.
00:31This week, a mammoth 68 days of hearings culminated in final submissions from the parties and
00:36a slew of allegations by NT Police against their own former officer, Zachary Rolfe.
00:42Racist, misogynistic, aggressive, insubordinate, impulsive – just some of the allegations
00:48levelled at the former constable.
00:51But the submissions, while scathing, stopped short of conceding institutionalised racism
00:56within the agency, something the families argued should form part of the coroner's
01:01final report.
01:02The coroner also heard in a tragic series of events that nurses were withdrawn from
01:06Yundamu just hours before the shooting, after a spate of break-ins to staff housing and
01:12vehicles.
01:13The evacuation, according to the Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, was
01:18evidence of structural and institutionalised racism.
01:21But lawyers for the health department rejected that, telling the court that temporary withdrawal
01:26was necessary for the safety of staff.
01:29They argued no-one could have anticipated a police officer shooting a community member.
01:34But they conceded there were shortcomings in the process.
01:37A written risk assessment was not completed in relation to the withdrawal.
01:41It could and should have been.
01:43Local Aboriginal staff were not adequately consulted.
01:46They needed to be.
01:47The coroner has indicated late February next year for when she's likely to hand down
01:52her final report.
01:53And while this inquest has lifted the lid on racist texts and awards circulated by police,
01:59and prompted an apology from the police commissioner on the national stage, lawyers for Kumanjai's
02:04family told the coroner apologies mean little if change cannot be achieved.
02:10Acting for one of the groups of Mr Walker's relatives, Gerard Mullen said despite the
02:14lies told to the family on the night of Kumanjai's passing, the devastation and perceived unfairness
02:20of the criminal trial, the shocking evidence about the extent of racism within the police
02:25force, they remain hopeful the truth will be told.
02:29Those hopes are heavy weight Coroner Elizabeth Armitage now bears.
02:33A police force hoping to mend community trust, a family seeking answers, and a community
02:40demanding accountability.