Bodycam vision played to a coronial inquest has heard a police officer laughing and swearing while looking for Gordon Copeland who fell into floodwaters.
WARNING: This article contains images of an Aboriginal person who has died. They are used with the permission of the family.
In July last year, the 22-year-old Gomeroi man ran from Moree police in north-west New South Wales after they had followed a car he was in.
Mr Copeland fell into the flooding Gwydir River in the early hours of July 10 and later drowned.
Bodycam video from Constable Nick Murray — in which he could be heard saying he saw someone of Aboriginal appearance go down an "8-metre cliff" into the water — was played to the inquest.
While shining his torch through high grass, the video showed Constable Murray saying, "I think he's hurt himself wherever he is, hey".
"F*** me they're young, aye, with clothes on too. I'm surprised he hasn't f***ing drowned," he said.
At this point, Mr Copeland had fallen into the river minutes earlier.
Several family members cried and left the court on hearing the footage.
Constable Murray can be heard laughing, and said, "F*** this little c***".
About eight minutes after Mr Copeland had entered the river, Constable Murray said, "I don't know. What do you wanna do, keep looking? F*** me".
Counsel assisting the coroner Peggy Dwyer asked Constable Murray if he was concerned for Mr Copeland's welfare at the time the video was recorded.
"I was very concerned … we're there trying my hardest to find the person, and I was very thoughtful in trying to make sure he's fine," he told the inquest.
Ms Dwyer questioned if any of his comments were directed at someone because they were Aboriginal.
"I'm not a racist person, I don't mean any disrespect to anyone, it was nothing to do with colour … I have no bad thoughts towards Aboriginal people," he responded.
"What have you learnt from this?" Ms Dwyer asked.
"Act in a more professional way on body-worn video, I guess. What I said was a coping mechanism, I can't control that, it just blurts out," Constable Murray said.
Ms Dwyer asked him if there was anything he wanted to say to the family after the video was played.
"My reactions and what I said was wrong, knowing what happened," Constable Murray said.
"I definitely would've been more sincere, and never would've said any of those things in the body-worn video."
The inquest continues.
