NT Coroner Finds Institutional Racism in Kumanjayi Walker Police Killing

The inquest into the 2019 death of 19-year-old Aboriginal man Kumanjayi Walker, fatally shot by Northern Territory Police constable Zachary Rolfe, revealed systemic racism within the NT Police Force. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage found that Rolfe held racist views normalized by a police culture that tolerated such attitudes, contributing to his interactions with the Yuendumu community on the night of the shooting. The report, spanning centuries of colonial impact on the Warlpiri people, issued 33 recommendations including mandatory drug and alcohol testing of police after critical incidents and reforms aimed at addressing institutional racism. Evidence showed prior complaints against Rolfe for violent behavior and racist conduct were ignored, and that he shared videos of forceful arrests as entertainment. Despite Rolfe's acquittal for murder on grounds of self-defense, legal experts criticized the trial for lacking Aboriginal representation and for not considering Rolfe's history of racial violence. The findings underscore ongoing challenges in police relations with Indigenous communities and call for urgent cultural and leadership changes in the NT Police to prevent further deaths in custody.