00:00For two years, these lawns have been a place for family and community of Kumonjai Walker,
00:07wedged between the court and the police station, a space for people to show support and share
00:13information about confronting evidence unfolding inside the courtroom.
00:17Since it began in 2022, those on the lawns have called for truth-telling and answers
00:23about how and why 19-year-old Kumonjai Walker was shot by a police officer he'd never met
00:29until the night of his death.
00:31This week, a mammoth 68 days of hearings culminated in final submissions from the parties and
00:36a slew of allegations by NT Police against their own former officer, Zachary Rolfe.
00:42Racist, misogynistic, aggressive, insubordinate, impulsive – just some of the allegations
00:48levelled at the former constable.
00:51But the submissions, while scathing, stopped short of conceding institutionalised racism
00:56within the agency, something the families argued should form part of the coroner's
01:01final report.
01:02The coroner also heard in a tragic series of events that nurses were withdrawn from
01:06Yundamu just hours before the shooting, after a spate of break-ins to staff housing and
01:12vehicles.
01:13The evacuation, according to the Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, was
01:18evidence of structural and institutionalised racism.
01:21But lawyers for the health department rejected that, telling the court that temporary withdrawal
01:26was necessary for the safety of staff.
01:29They argued no-one could have anticipated a police officer shooting a community member.
01:34But they conceded there were shortcomings in the process.
01:37A written risk assessment was not completed in relation to the withdrawal.
01:41It could and should have been.
01:43Local Aboriginal staff were not adequately consulted.
01:46They needed to be.
01:47The coroner has indicated late February next year for when she's likely to hand down
01:52her final report.
01:53And while this inquest has lifted the lid on racist texts and awards circulated by police,
01:59and prompted an apology from the police commissioner on the national stage, lawyers for Kumanjai's
02:04family told the coroner apologies mean little if change cannot be achieved.
02:10Acting for one of the groups of Mr Walker's relatives, Gerard Mullen said despite the
02:14lies told to the family on the night of Kumanjai's passing, the devastation and perceived unfairness
02:20of the criminal trial, the shocking evidence about the extent of racism within the police
02:25force, they remain hopeful the truth will be told.
02:29Those hopes are heavy weight Coroner Elizabeth Armitage now bears.
02:33A police force hoping to mend community trust, a family seeking answers, and a community
02:40demanding accountability.
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