NT policeman Zachary Rolfe to return to work within weeks

Two and a half years after being suspended over the fatal shooting of Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker, NT cop will return to duty.

More than 32 months after being suspended from duty over the fatal shooting of Indigenous man Kumanjayi Walker, Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe will return to work within weeks.

The NT Police has confirmed to The Australian that Constable Rolfe will be “returning from leave shortly”.

Rolfe outside the NT Supreme Court in Darwin. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The Australian understands the 30-year-old will return to work, based in Darwin, on July 18.

The Northern Territory Police Association told The Australian that Constable Rolfe would return to work “very soon”.

“We will not provide the location he will be stationed at or what duties he will be undertaking,” NTPA president Paul McCue said.

“We are unsure at this stage what his role will be.

“We are simply pleased he can return to work after over two and a half years since the incident in Yuendumu.”

Constable Rolfe was one of four Immediate Response Team members deployed from Alice Springs to Yuendumu on November 9, 2019 to execute an arrest warrant for Walker on four charges including assaulting police with an axe and breaching his suspended sentence.

During the arrest, Constable Rolfe shot Walker three times after the teenager stabbed him with a pair of stainless-steel surgical scissors and attempted to stab his police partner Adam Eberl.

Just four days later, the decorated young officer and army veteran was charged with the 19-year-old’s murder.

In June 2021 alternative charges of manslaughter and violent act causing death were added to his indictment.

On February 7 Constable Rolfe’s five-week trial began in Darwin and on March 11 the jury found Rolfe not guilty on all three charges.

Just hours after his acquittal, the NT Police directed Constable Rolfe to take leave while they dealt with dozens of alleged serious breaches of discipline which included excessive use of force allegations, speaking to the media and the contents of private text messages found on his phone.

Mr McCue today said the union would continue to support Constable Rolfe with the disciplinary matters he has been facing since his trial concluded.

“The NTPA continues to support Constable Rolfe with internal matters, some of which have been dealt with, and some remain ongoing,” he said.

“We will not comment further on the specifics of those matters at this time.”

This comes ahead of the coronial inquest into Kumanjayi Walker’s death which is due to start in Alice Springs on September 5 and has been set down for three months.