Zach Rolfe trial: Kumanjayi Walker’s family reacts to not guilty verdict

The family of Kumanjayi Walker have pleaded for the removal of firearms from communities, following Zach Rolfe's not guilty verdict.

MEMBERS of Kumanjayi Walker’s family have spoken of their heartbreak at the loss of “a young man who was taken far too soon and a young man who has been deeply, deeply missed”.

Speaking outside the Supreme Court where Zach Rolfe was acquitted of her cousin’s murder, Samara Fernandez-Brown, choked back tears as she remembered the “joyful” and “generous” 19-year-old.

Rolfe

“We as a family and a community will remember him as a young man who loved animals, who loved his family, who loved his partner, his friends and his homelands, who loved music,” she said.

“He was a traditional Aboriginal man who loved hunting and being out on country.”

Ms Fernandez-Brown said throughout the trial, Mr Walker had been “depicted only as a dangerous individual”, who was “criticised and picked apart by people who didn’t know him”.

“He died without his family’s support, even though we stood just outside, begging to come in to see if he was OK,” she said.

Rolfe

“He was (denied) the opportunity to be comforted in his last moments and we were robbed of the opportunity to say goodbye to him.

“Sometimes I think about how he must have felt in his last moments – was he scared? Terrified I’d imagine. Was he in pain? Excruciating pain I would think, and he was alone.”

Ms Fernandez-Brown thanked her family and community “for the dignity and the grace you have shown throughout the last two years”.

“I know Kumanjayi would be so proud of all of us but this is not the end of his story and this is not the end of our fight,” she said.

“After some rest we will turn out attention to the Coronial inquest where we hope our truth will finally be heard.

“We will return home and we will continue our healing process but this is not the last you will hear from Kumanjayi Walker’s family.”

Also speaking outside court, Parumpurru Yuendumu Select Committee deputy chair, Valerie Martin, called for an end to police bringing firearms into remote communities.

“We are all so full of anger and grief,” she said.

“It must stop, we demand an end to guns in our communities – look what happened during the trial, a young fella, same age as Kumanjayi, was shot six times in Palmerston by police.”

Ms Martin called for greater community control in remote areas, saying “the biggest problem we have is racism”.

“I am an elder who has worked with the law for 30 years, I’m familiar with the sentences that are being handed out to our people, especially our young ones, today who are being convicted for the most minor things, the system traps our young people in youth detention and in jails,” she said.

“The elders and the community know what we can do to help our young people, we are trying to help our young people but we need more support to keep our young people out of this system – listen to us, work with us, we are all connected to this country, we should not be divided by racism.”

Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

An emotional Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves also backed Ms Martin’s call for guns to be banned from remote communities.

“We don’t want no guns! Enough is enough! It’s got to stop,” he said.

“Let us respect each other and we do not want to see another black young fella or a girl to be shot.”

In Alice Springs, wailing emanated from the lawns outside the courthouse, where dozens of Kumanjayi Walker supporters gathered following the verdict.

Armed with a megaphone, Warlpiri Elder Robin Granites expressed his anger and sadness over the trial’s outcome.

“There are people coming together, walking together, talking together, but there are people of this country, called Australian Europeans who have brought this word called racism,” he said.

“It’s a very bad thing.

“This trial and this shooting should have never happened.”

Police and Aboriginal liaison officers stood silently on the lawns, which back onto the town’s police station.