The inquiry into the 2019 shooting of Kumanjayi Walker, a 19-year-old Indigenous teenager, revealed damning findings regarding the conduct of the police involved. Coroner Elisabeth Armitage's report stated that Constable Zachary Rolfe, who fired the shots that led to Walker's death, was deemed "racist" and acted out of a predilection for high-stakes policing. The incident occurred during a home arrest in Yuendumu, a remote Indigenous community in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Walker died shortly after being shot three times by Rolfe when officers attempted to apprehend him for breaching a court order. Prior to the shooting, Walker had previously confronted police with an axe, raising questions about how law enforcement approached the situation. During her public address in Yuendumu, Judge Armitage remarked that Walker's death was "avoidable" and illuminated pervasive institutional racism within the Northern Territory police.
The inquest was spurred by Walker's tragic death and subsequent demonstrations against Indigenous deaths in custody. Rolfe had previously faced murder charges for the shooting but was acquitted in 2022, a verdict that intensified public outcry regarding Indigenous treatment within the justice system.
Judge Armitage’s comprehensive report, consisting of over 600 pages, highlighted Rolfe's deeply ingrained racist attitudes, as well as problematic behavior towards female colleagues and bush police, raising serious concerns about the culture within the Alice Springs police station. While the judge acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the direct impact of Rolfe's racism on Walker's death, she did express that it could not be discounted.
On the day of the shooting, Rolfe and fellow officers engaged in a physical altercation with Walker, who reportedly used scissors against him. Rolfe discharged his firearm without warning, shooting Walker, and subsequently fired two additional shots in what prosecutors deemed an unnecessary escalation. Judge Armitage criticized Rolfe for making "flawed decisions" that led to "officer-induced jeopardy," suggesting he was drawn to the adrenaline of such confrontations, neglecting established protocols for Walker’s arrest.
In response to the findings, Judge Armitage issued 32 recommendations aimed at fostering more respectful engagement between police and the Yuendumu community, including strategies to limit firearm use by police and to reinforce and publicly report anti-racism measures.
As the report was shared with Walker's family and community members, they expressed their intentions to thoroughly review the recommendations. NT Police acknowledged the emotional toll of the inquiry, with acting commissioner Martin Dole vowing that lessons learned would not be forgotten. The coroner's inquest into Walker’s death has reignited discussions on the urgent need for reform within a system plagued by allegations of racism and disproportionate treatment of Indigenous Australians.
