Zach Rolfe claims inquest which labelled him racist amounted to a ‘misallocation’ of ‘time and resources’

The former policeman at the centre of a mammoth inquest – who’s now been branded a ‘racist’ – has broken his silence, making scathing claims about the assessment of coronial findings.

Zachary Rolfe stands proud after he is found not guilty of all charges. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Former Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe says the findings of a three year coronial inquest – in which the Coroner determined he was “racist” – missed “a critical ­opportunity” to “propose genuinely beneficial and impactful reforms”.

In a statement, Mr Rolfe said Coroner Elisabeth Armitage’s findings in the Kumanjayi Walker inquest, delivered on Monday, demonstrated a “distinct absence of lived experience or genuine comprehension of violence, criminality and victimisation – a privilege ironically afforded to her by the very frontline police officers she critiques.”

“The severity of Armitage’s criticism inadvertently highlights how effectively the police have safeguarded her privileged position, granting her a level of security and comfort that insulates her from the harsh realities faced daily by frontline officers and, more importantly, by countless victims of crime throughout the Northern Territory,” he told The Australian.

In her 12 chapter, 683-page findings, Ms Armitage wrote “Rolfe was racist and his racist views increased the likelihood of a fatal confrontation with Kumanjayi” as a subhead in the table of contents.

NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage in Yuendumu about to deliver the findings into the Kumanjayi White inquest, July 7, 2025. Picture: Gera Kazakov

In her findings, she acknowledged the “highly and extended stressful periods” Mr Rolfe had been through following the death of the 19-year-old Warlpiri Luritja man in 2019.

Mr Rolfe shot Kumanjayi Walker three times during an arrest attempt in Yuendumu, in what Ms Armitage called an “avoidable” death.

In 2022, Mr Rolfe was acquitted of a murder charge in the Supreme Court, and in her findings, Ms Armitage said she was unable to make any determination which would go against the jury acquittal of Mr Rolfe.

Ms Armitage determined Mr Rolfe went against an arrest plan developed by local police officers – which he knew about – and instead followed his own plan, leading to the “flawed arrest” which resulted in Kumanjayi’s death.

Mr Rolfe provided no warning prior to discharging his pistol, acted against the NT police’s 10 operational safety principles, and his actions could be “explained by the phenomenon of officer induced jeopardy”, Ms Armitage wrote in her findings.

Explosive scenes outside court as a woman believed to be from Yuendumu confronts former NT police officer Zachary Rolfe after day one of him giving evidence at the inquest into the death of Kumanjayi Walker. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

Ms Armitage defined officer induced jeopardy as “situations where officers needlessly put themselves in danger, committing an unforced tactical error that makes them vulnerable and thus in a position where they must use deadly force to protect themselves”.

In his statement, Mr Rolfe said Ms Armitage had made her findings from “a place of safety” while “vulnerable communities continue to endure the direct and brutal consequences of violent crime, deserving far more robust policing rather than criticisms rooted in detachment”.

“The coroner’s infantilisation of ­Indigenous communities does not empower but rather diminishes agency and reinforces dependency,” Mr Rolfe said in his statement.

“Unfortunately, this coronial investigation represents a misallocation of valuable time and resources, missing a critical ­opportunity to propose genuinely beneficial and impactful reforms.”

NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage arrives in Yuendumu to deliver the findings into the Kumanjayi White inquest, July 7, 2025. Picture: Gera Kazakov

In her findings, Ms Armitage wrote “nothing in these findings should be taken to mean that I think that police are not entitled to lawfully defend themselves against serious attacks”.

“Of course they can, and they should,” she wrote.

“In fact, an important aim of these findings is to make recommendations to reduce the risk of serious attacks – or any attacks – upon Police, who perform a vital role in our community.”

Ms Armitage made 32 recommendations in her findings, one of which is for police to incorporate the death of Kumanjayi Walker as an example of officer induced jeopardy in scenario training.