Read the ‘disgusting’ texts sent by the policeman who shot dead an Aboriginal teenager, using unspeakable words to refer to Aboriginal people
- Officer Zachary Rolfe has been acquitted of the murder of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker.
- An indigenous teenager was shot in Yuendumu in Australia’s Northern Territory in 2019
- His ‘racist’ text messages have been revealed in an investigation into Walker’s death.
- In a message, Rolfe said he was “ready” to reject his body camera.
- He compared Aborigines to ‘Neanderthals’ in another text message.
Troubling text messages from a Northern Territory policeman before he shot dead an indigenous teenager have once again dominated an investigation into the death.
Kumanjayi Walker, 19, died after being shot three times by Officer Zachary Rolfe during an attempted arrest in Yuendumu, northwest of Alice Springs, on November 9, 2019.
The officer was acquitted at trial in March of killing Walker amid allegations that his use of force after Walker stabbed him was heavy-handed.
The Alice Springs inquest into the Warlpiri man’s death was heard Monday. Const Rolfe sent and received a series of text messages in the months leading up to the shooting referring to Aborigines as ‘bush c**ns’, ‘n***ers’ and ‘dirty shit’.
Kumanjayi Walker (pictured), 19, was shot dead during an attempted arrest in Yuendumu in Australia’s Northern Territory in 2019
Constable Zachary Rolfe (pictured at the Northern Territory High Court in Darwin on March 8, 2022) was initially charged with Walker’s murder during an attempted arrest in Yuendumu in 2019. Constable Rolfe was later acquitted of all charges.
In a text message, Const Rolfe said: “I’m always ready to make my (body-worn) camera look the other way” while discussing a criminal arrest during which a colleague allegedly “lost his mind.” “.
He also called senior officers investigating a co-worker for his alleged heavy-handed conduct ‘gay c***s’.
When asked about the messages and the use of terms like ‘bush c**ns’, Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said it was ‘disgusting’.
‘It’s inappropriate. It is not the language of (the Northern Territory Police Force). It is not the language of our community. It doesn’t reflect who we are,” he told the coroner.
“That language undermines the culture of being a police officer in this agency and what it means to wear this uniform.”
Wurst said he was unaware officers were using racist terms and said it should be investigated.
“(To) get to the heart of where that language comes from and why it’s used,” he said.
“That would have been the most appropriate way to handle that, because it could be about the individual, it could be about their own personal biases, or it could be a reaction to something they’ve been exposed to.”
In a series of text messages revealed during an investigation into Walker’s death, Rolfe said he was “ready” to move his body camera away.
The inquest heard that Officer Rolfe (pictured) sent and received a series of text messages in the months leading up to the Walker shooting referring to Aborigines as ‘n***s’, ‘n***ers’ and ‘dirty shit’ *s’
He rejected the idea that they could have been officers “letting off steam” and agreed that it could lead to the dehumanization of indigenous peoples.
“It’s indicative of someone’s personal biases toward a cultural group that have the ability to impact their ability to do their job,” he said.
‘A job that we must do without fear or favour, and with objectivity, and you cannot allow that language to seep into the workplace or in a private context.’
The investigation continues Tuesday.
