Coroner Finds NT Police Officer Racist in Indigenous Teen Shooting

A coroner has found that former Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe, who fatally shot Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker in 2019, held racist attitudes, and these attitudes were reflective of a police force with institutional racism. The coroner stated that Rolfe's racist views could not be excluded as a contributing factor in Walker's death, which was deemed avoidable and described as a case of "officer-induced jeopardy." The inquest highlighted that the NT Police failed to properly supervise or discipline Rolfe, allowing a culture that tolerated racism to persist. The Walker family asserted that the case reflects a broader systemic issue within the police force, emphasizing that Rolfe was not an isolated "bad apple" but symptomatic of a violent and racist system. The coroner criticized the police leadership for enabling such behavior and noted that Rolfe's use of unnecessary force extended beyond the fatal incident. These findings come after Rolfe was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in 2022 and subsequently dismissed from the force for unrelated matters.