NT police commissioner Jamie Chalker‘s pledge on Yuendumu teen’s death

NT top cop Jamie Chalker says police will investigate after an Aboriginal teen was shot dead by an officer.

Kumanjayi Walker, 19, was shot and killed by a police officer in Yuendumu on Saturday. Picture: Facebook

The Northern Territory’s incoming police commissioner has promised to thoroughly investigate the shooting death of an Aboriginal teenager in an outback community and ensure the findings of that investigation are made public.

Jamie Chalker was officially sworn in as commissioner and chief executive of NT Police Fire and Emergency Services on Monday, after the departure of his predecessor, Reece Kershaw, to head up the Australian Federal Police.

Mr Chalker, a born-and-bred Territorian, said the public could be reassured that police would “get to the bottom” of what happened on Saturday when an officer shot a 19-year-old Yuendumu man who later died.

“This incident will be fully investigated,” Commissioner Chalker said.

“We will do that on behalf of the community, and people need to understand that we will ensure the truth comes out.”

Senior figures in Yuendumu, a community of about 1000 people living roughly 300km northwest of Alice Springs, have said Saturday night’s events shook their faith in mainstream justice and revived painful memories of frontier conflicts like the 1928 Coniston massacre.

“It brings back memories of how people got shot in the frontier wars,” Otto Sims said.

“Now that’s gone, and people have reconciled. But we still have it in our DNA that that’s what we went through.”

A semi-spontaneous protest in Alice Springs on Sunday saw a large crowd of people gather outside the regional police headquarters in Alice Springs, several of whom daubed red-paint handprints on the building’s walls. Protesters chanted, “No justice, no peace. No racist police.”

Residents in the community of Lajamanu staged a solidarity demonstration on Monday. Further marches are planned for Alice Springs, Darwin and beyond in the coming days.

Commissioner Chalker asked everyone protesting to “understand that everybody in this agency gets out there to serve this community.”

Alice Springs residents held a protest outside the town's police station on Sunday after the fatal shooting. Picture: Emma Murray

“My heart goes out to the Warlpiri people today, particularly those based in Yuendumu, but all members of the Warlpiri Nation and, more broadly, all Aboriginal Territorians,” he said.

“We have the trust of the community ordinarily. While that trust is currently being questioned, you can be very reassured that we will be doing all that we can to re-establish that trust.”

Police are investigating on behalf of the NT Coroner. A police professional standards body is also conducting a parallel, internal investigation.

Commissioner Chalker said those inquiries would be overseen by the NT’s independent Commissioner Against Corruption, Ken Fleming, and by WA deputy police commissioner Nick Anticich, who is presently on secondment to the NT. He said action against the officers involved in the shooting had not been ruled out.

Police have revealed that the 19-year-old man, who locals are referring to as Kumanjayi Walker (with his first name withheld for cultural reasons), could not be given proper medical treatment after he was shot because there was no medical staff in the community at the time.

Acting deputy commissioner Michael White said on Sunday that two officers had attended a residence in Yuendumu at around 7 PM the night before “in an attempt to apprehend him (the victim) for outstanding offences”.

“During that time, a struggle ensued, and two shots were fired, and he sadly passed away later,” Acting deputy commissioner White said.

“My understanding is he was armed with a weapon, but at this stage, it’s part of the investigation.”

Police later said the officer who fired his gun had been stabbed in the shoulder first. Police have declined to describe the weapon or the extent of the officer’s injuries.

Aleetta Dixon, a relative and self-described eye witness to the shooting, disputed the police account.

“There was no weapon in his hand,” Ms Dixon said.

“(After he was shot) they dragged him like a dog all the way out from inside the house, through the yard, and threw him in the back of the paddy wagon … he was so quiet.”

Another witness, Elizabeth Snape, said two officers stood outside the property while others entered. “I saw him (Walker) trying to fight, but he couldn’t really move much because they had him,” Ms Snape said.

“That’s when they when they threw him onto the bed.”

Three shot rang out a few seconds later, she said, adding that “I didn’t hear him (the police officer) say anything like, ‘put that down, put that down’.”

Police left the residence without securing a crime scene, according to locals who also said officers then locked themselves inside the police station with the body and refused to communicate with Kumanjayi Walker’s family.

Acting deputy commissioner White confirmed that relatives were not informed about Kumanjayi Walker’s death until Sunday morning. He said a crowd of up to 200 people had assembled and there were fears for the officers’ safety.

“We provided first aid within our training, and that’s, unfortunately, all that he (Walker) could receive,” he said.

The NT Health Department said clinic staff were “supported to leave Yuendumu yesterday (Saturday) afternoon after community unrest placed staff safety at risk.”

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner backed the move, saying it was the “best decision to look after Territorians” after staff had been hurt and their accommodation broken into.

NT Police Minister Nicole Manison told reporters on Monday that it “hurts me immensely to know that people in Yuendumu are hurting because of this incident.”

“I’m also feeling a lot of hurt for our police officers because I know this has deeply affected them,” she said.

“This is a very sad event. We are going to make sure that this is fully investigated because we want to learn from this as well.”