Warning: This story contains the name of a deceased Indigenous person.
Kumanjayi White, a disabled man from the remote community of Yuendumu, was declared dead in hospital about 70 minutes after he stopped breathing while being restrained on the ground at the local Coles about 1.10pm on Tuesday last week.
Police alleged he was involved in an altercation with security guards after putting items down his shirt.
The death in custody is being investigated by the NT Police Major Crime Section and is subject to a coronial inquiry.
Police were also investigating the matter on behalf of the coroner.
However, in an update today, police said that the coronial investigation has been paused to allow for a criminal investigation to be completed.
“In consultation with the Northern Territory Coroner, the coronial investigation has been paused, while the criminal investigation into the man’s death is undertaken to determine whether any criminality was involved,” NT Police said.
“The coroner has requested, and will be provided, with regular updates as the criminal investigation progresses.”
All evidence, including CCTV, cannot be released until the investigation is completed.
According to police, White had allegedly assaulted one of the security guards when he was confronted and became aggressive with the plainclothes officers who responded.
“We can confirm the male was taken to the ground. He remained on the ground for a number of minutes before general duties frontline officers came to the Coles complex and placed handcuffs on the male,” NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst told reporters last week.
“At about this point, it was determined that the male had lost consciousness. The handcuffs were removed, first aid was administered immediately, and that included some CPR.”
Police later determined that White had also allegedly struck an unknown woman in the back near the Commonwealth Bank on Gregory Terrace before the incident at Coles.
White’s uncle, Central Land Council Chair Warren Williams, urged the federal government to withhold funding from the territory until it sets up an independent commission into police conduct, with measures that target officers with a history of complaints and racist attitudes.
“Unlike most jurisdictions, the Northern Territory lacks a body to investigate police misconduct and has failed to overhaul the culture of its police force,” he said today.
Williams also called for an independent inquiry into his nephew’s death.
”We don’t trust this government and its police force to keep us safe,” he said.
“It’s time for the federal government to hold the NT accountable and force the change we so desperately need.”
An autopsy was conducted last week, but White’s cause of death remains undetermined.
An independent examination of the initial autopsy is currently underway, and the forensic pathologist is completing a further investigation to understand how he died.
For 24/7 crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, contact 13YARN (13 92 76).
