Slain teen’s family calls for Zach Rolfe’s sacking, labelling his refusal to talk a ‘cop out’

The family of Kumanjayi Walker says it is time for Zach Rolfe to come clean and admit he is a ‘racist’ after he exercised his legal right to refuse to explain racial slurs in text messages.

Kumanjayi Walker's cousin Samara Fernandez-Brown says Zach Rolfe’s continued employment “shows that he’s the type of person that you’re OK with representing your police force”. Picture: Jason Walls

Trust in the NT Police force will not be restored until Zach Rolfe is removed from his post, according to the family of the man he killed, with his cousin labelling the officer’s refusal to answer questions about the shooting “a cop out”.

Constable Rolfe was acquitted on all charges by a Supreme Court jury in March after fatally shooting 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man Kumanjayi Walker during a botched arrest in 2019.

Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage is now conducting a months’ long inquiry into the shooting, with Constable Rolfe originally scheduled to take the stand in the Alice Springs Local Court for three days from Wednesday.

But he was excused after exercising his legal right to refuse to answer any questions about his actions on the night or other problematic uses of force, as well as racist text exchanges between himself and other police officers.

Mr Walker’s cousin, Samara Fernandez-Brown, said the family were “disgusted” by his “cowardice” in invoking a legal privilege against incriminating himself in internal disciplinary proceedings.

“The least he can do is answer questions around why he behaved in that way, why he sent those text messages, and everything else,” she said.

Ms Fernandez-Brown said the delay while the Supreme Court rules on the application of Constable Rolfe’s “penalty privilege” next week was only further compounding the family’s grief.

“For it to come to the inquest level where the truth is all supposed to be heard and (he’s) still finding a way to be able to prolong it on his end, or still to protect himself is again, extremely cowardice and very, very frustrating for family and community at this point,” she said.

Before refusing to answer a question about a text message in which Constable Rolfe referred to Aboriginal people as “c**ns”, he told the court he treated people of all races equally, which Ms Fernandez-Brown described as “a cop out”.

Samara Fernandez-Brown says she is sceptical about NT Police’s commitment to real change. Picture: Jason Walls

“It’s quite clear from his text messages and his conduct that he doesn’t treat everybody the exact same, so those answers were a cop out for his actual behaviour,” she said

“If anything’s going to change, it’s through the acceptance that ‘Hey, yeah I am racist, and what can I do to then to change that behaviour, because it’s quite evident and it’s quite clear, and I can’t really keep denying that’, which is obviously what he’s going to continue to try to do.”

Ms Fernandez-Brown said previous disciplinary actions, in which Constable Rolfe was subjected to “an assertive conversation by a senior police officer” were a “slap on the wrist” and the only appropriate punishment was for him to be sacked.

“By continuing to have Rolfe employed and on your payroll, it shows that he’s the type of person that you’re OK with representing your police force,” she said.

“Because if you say systemic racism doesn’t exist and racism doesn’t exist in the police force then why are you allowing people that have shown clear racist views to work for your institution?”

Ms Fernandez-Brown said the parade of police officers at the inquest who insisted the text exchanges were isolated and not representative of the wider force left her sceptical about NT Police’s commitment to real change.

“By allowing him to stay in the police force, along with those other police officers, it shows that there isn’t going to be a real change, or at least a change where it needs to exist,” she said.

“You can change the smaller things but if there isn’t consequences for those massive behaviours again, with having people dying, then you can’t expect a community to have faith in the NT Police force or have any trust restored.”

Earlier, members of Mr Walker’s family labelled Constable Rolfe a “coward” for refusing to answer questions at the inquest into the Warlpiri-Luritja man’s death.

Constable Rolfe was acquitted on all charges by a Supreme Court jury in March after fatally shooting the 19-year-old during a bungled arrest in Yuendumu in November 2019.

The family had packed the public gallery on Wednesday after travelling the 300km to Alice Springs to see Constable Rolfe take the stand for the first time.

But they left disappointed after the 30-year-old officer was excused from giving evidence when he invoked a “penalty privilege” against incriminating himself in internal NT Police disciplinary proceedings.

Mr Walker’s mother, Leeanne Oldfield, said she was “upset” by the outcome, saying the man who shot her son three times “should just tell the truth” about what happened.

“He was the man that went to Yuendumu and did this, and so he needs to answer,” she said.

“I am still hurting inside, I cry when I think about Kumanjayi, I really, really miss him and it’s not fair that Rolfe doesn’t get to answer.

“He took his life away, so he needs to tell the truth.”

Lottie Robertson, the grandmother of Mr Walker’s girlfriend at the time of his death, said Constable Rolfe was “a coward” for not giving evidence.

Kumanjayi Walker's mother Leeanne Oldfield paints Coroner Elisabeth Armitage’s forehead during a historic visit to Yuendumu on Monday. Picture: Jason Walls

“They think he is a hero. He should admit everything he has done,” she said.

“He is guilty of everything he has done in the text messages and in the footage so he needs to answer for it.”

Mr Walker’s grandfather, Warren Williams, said Wednesday’s hearing was “very disappointing for Kumanjayi’s family”.

“The disrespect shown by Zachary Rolfe to continually deny answering questions, is offensive after all this time and evidence,” he said.

“Also him admitting he hadn’t done cultural training specifically about Aboriginal culture and that he sees all humans the same, we the family are not satisfied. We want the truth.”

During his short time on the stand on Wednesday, Constable Rolfe told the court that while he had received cultural training at the police academy, he had not “found a specific use for that in the job”.

The inquest continues on Friday.