Watch the video: moment cop Zachary Rolfe shoots teen Kumanjayi Walker

The moment Constable Zachary Rolfe shot Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker in the remote outback community of Yuendumu has been played to a jury in court in Darwin.

The moment Constable Zachary Rolfe shot Indigenous teenager Kumanjayi Walker in the remote outback community of Yuendumu has been played to a jury in the Northern Territory Supreme Court at Darwin.

Crown prosecutor Philip Strickland SC played the confronting vision — which also shows Mr Walker stabbing Constable Rolfe with scissors — during his opening address to the jury in the young cop’s murder trial on Monday.

Trial judge Justice John Burns has since varied a previous suppression order, allowing the footage to now be published.

The footage was captured on the bodyworn cameras of Constable Rolfe and his Immediate Response Team colleague, Constable First Class Adam Eberl, as they arrested Mr Walker at house 577 in Yuendumu on November 9, 2019.

Just after 7pm constables Rolfe and Eberl, two other IRT members and a dog handler left Yuendumu police station and headed to house 577 at West Camp where Mr Walker had been staying with his girlfriend Rickisha Robertson since fleeing the Central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Programmes Unit in Alice Springs on October 29 and returning to the community.

The 19-year-old was wanted for assaulting police, criminal damage to a police vehicle, criminal damage of his electronic monitoring device and breach of his suspended sentence.

When the group arrived at house 577, Rickisha’s father Ethan Robertson told them Mr Walker was at another group of houses including 511 and 518, before showing them on their map.

The officers drove the short distance to that location, where officers Rolfe and Eberl started talking to people in the yard outside 511.

At about 7.18pm Constable Rolfe asked a woman in the yard if they could search the house and she consented.

“Can we go check inside? Go check inside? All right,” the young cop said.

The light was beginning to fade.

“Me and Adam are going to clear this red house,” Rolfe said into his radio.

Constable Eberl took the lead as they stepped through the open door of house 511 which was the home of Mr Walker’s grandmother Margaret Brown.

Constable Eberl flicked on his torch and illuminated a man walking towards them with his hands in his pockets.

“Hey mate, what’s your name? Hey mate, we’re just asking a question. No need to keep walking,” Constable Eberl told him.

The man hesitated before providing a cousin’s name.

“I’m Vernon Dickson,” he said.

“I’m just telling you the truth.”

Constable Eberl said into his radio saying that he and Constable Rolfe were “just inside the front door of the red house”.

Yuendumu: The Trial is a gripping new podcast available daily wherever you get your podcasts, plus on our app and theaustralian.com.au/yuendumu

Constable Rolfe calmly directed the man to stand against the wall.

“Just come over here for a sec, up here,” Constable Rolfe said.

“All right. Don’t stress. Be calm. I’m going to put a photo next to your face and see who you are.

“Relax. I need this hat off; I need this hat off.”

At 7.21pm, Constable Rolfe told the man to “look straight ahead” while he compared his face to the mugshot saved on his iPhone.

“That’s not me,” the man said. “My name is Vernon Dickson.”

Constable Rolfe replied: “Oh, good man. OK, cool. Easy mate, easy. Just put your hands behind your back.”

Mr Walker hesitated, said ‘um’, and pulled a 10cm-long pair of stainless steel surgical scissors from his pocket.

A struggle ensued.

“Stop it mate,” Constable Eberl commanded as he tried to restrain him.

“Don’t f--- around!”

Constable Rolfe drew his Glock and fired one round into Mr Walker’s side.

Constable Eberl appeared to wrestle Mr Walker onto a mattress on the floor.

Constable Rolfe fired two more shots, in quick succession, into his torso.

The video shows Mr Rolfe then holstered his Glock, pushed Constable Eberl out of the way and rolled Mr Walker onto his stomach, ordering: “Give me your arm, give me your arm.”

“He’s got scissors in his hand, he was stabbing me, he was stabbing you. He’s got scissors right here,” Constable Rolfe told Constable Eberl.

“He’s got scissors right here.”

Mr Walker continued to struggle with the officers.

“Let go of the scissors! Let go of the scissors!” Constable Eberl yelled.

“Drop the scissors!”

The officers struggled to handcuff him.

“Nan, nan, nan,” Mr Walker cried.

“You mob been shoot me. I’m gonna kill you motherf...ers.”

Constable Rolfe declared they needed to “glove up” to provide first aid.

The trial continues.

-

Hear the Australian’s gripping daily trial podcast Yuendumu: The Trial on our app or wherever you get your podcasts.

For all our coverage, go to theaustralian.com.au/yuendumu