Grieving family returns to Coles where grandson died in custody in Alice Springs

Red Centre residents have paused to grieve alongside the family of a 24-year-old man from Yuendumu, who died in custody in Alice Springs.

Calls for unity have been made through the sobs of family members during an emotional vigil for a young man from Yuendumu, who died in custody after being restrained by plainclothes police officers in the Coles supermarket in Alice Springs.

More than 300 people turned up to a vigil for the 24-year-old outside the supermarket on Friday, where devastated family were witnessed grieving for the young man who died on Tuesday.

The mother and family of a 24-year-old man from Yuendumu at a vigil outside Coles in Alice Springs on May 30, 2025. The young man died in custody on May 27, 2025. Picture: Gera Kazkov

The young man’s mother could be heard wailing, with others joining her as leaders and family addressed the crowd of about 300.

Senior Warlpiri Elder Ned Hargraves angrily said “we can’t live like this” and told the crowd “enough is enough”.

“We respect you. How about you respect us? We’re meant to be working together, but we’re not,” he said.

Senior Warlpiri Elder Ned Hargraves. Picture: Gera Kazkov

The young man was restrained by officers in Coles at 1.10pm on Tuesday, after he was allegedly caught shoplifting and was involved in an incident with security.

While on the ground, he stopped breathing, and was taken to hospital. He died 70 minutes after he was restrained.

NT Police are still investigating the death.

No charges have been laid against the officers involved and police have rejected calls of an independent investigation.

Family grieve for their 24-year-old family member at a vigil outside Coles in Alice Springs on May 30, 2025. The young man died in custody on May 27, 2025. Picture: Gera Kazkov

An autopsy was unable to determine the young man’s cause of death, with a forensic pathologist still yet to determine the cause of death at the time of writing.

Robin Granites, also one of the young man’s grandfathers, wanted the community to band together to stop more deaths from occurring.

“We don’t want to be hated, we want to be loved ... we want to love each other,” he said.

Ken Lechleitner spoke about the young man’s yearning to return to Country, but accused the public guardianship bureaucracy of stopping him from doing so.

Ken Lechleitner. Picture: Gera Kazakov

“There’s a certain healing aspect when you could take people back to country, especially when they’re suffering from mental health,” he said.

“But we were restricted in a process where we had to get permission to do that.”

Mr Lechleitner was assisting the young man as part of his NDIS plan.

Family grieve during a vigil at Coles. Picture: Gera Kazakov

He was under public guardianship and living in NDIS supported accommodation in Alice Springs for the past five years.

Mr Hargraves previously told this masthead he “had problems with his head”.

Robin Granites, the grandfather of a 24-year-old man from Yuendumu walks through aisle four in Coles Alice Springs during a vigil for the young man. The young man died in custody inside the supermarket on May 27, 2025, in aisle four, the lolly aisle. Picture: Gera Kazkov

A memorial outside Coles had grown on Friday, and during the vigil grieving family members threw themselves on top of the flowers while crying.

Coles was shut for the vigil, with a spokesman telling this masthead the supermarket giant was “deeply saddened by this tragic incident”.

The doors did open for the family however, who walked through the supermarket and down aisle four – the confectionary aisle – where the young man was restrained before his death.

Family cried loudly, and once they exited Coles the vigil concluded.

Originally published as Grieving family returns to Coles where grandson died in custody in Alice Springs