Press Article
Tragic Death of Aboriginal Man in Police Restraint Sparks Outcry
Alice Springs, Central Australia – A 24-year-old disabled Aboriginal man from the Yuendumu community has died following an incident involving police restraint at a local supermarket. The man reportedly stopped breathing shortly after being restrained by two plainclothes officers responding to allegations of shoplifting, according to the Northern Territory Police Force (NTPF) and various Indigenous advocacy groups.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when supermarket staff alerted authorities about the man placing items in his clothing. The NTPF has not disclosed specific methods used in the restraint but labeled his death as a “death in custody.” Australian senator Lidia Thorpe criticized the police response, emphasizing the need for compassionate care rather than force. “He was hungry, and he needed care. Instead, he was met with brutal force,” she stated on social media.
Senator Thorpe stressed that this tragic event is part of a troubling trend of Indigenous Australians dying while in police custody. Calls for an independent investigation into the incident have been voiced, with the National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls demanding the inquiry exclude NTPF involvement.
Assistant Northern Territory Police Commissioner Travis Wurst addressed the incident on ABC Radio Alice Springs, assuring that efforts were being made to inform the man’s family about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The incident has intensified discussions about the disproportionately high rates of deaths in custody among First Nations people in Australia, underscored by ongoing community grief over previous tragedies, including the 2019 police shooting of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker. As the Yuendumu community mourns, the findings from the inquest into Walker’s death are expected next month, raising further concerns about police accountability in these critical situations.
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