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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
National
Sarah Matthews

Kumanjayi Walker's uncle relives moments before nephew's shooting

Zachary Rolfe was involved in an unsuccessful arrest attempt two days before the shooting of Kumanjayi Walker.

Kumanjayi Walker's uncle has taken to the witness stand to relive the moment he heard gunshots from inside the house two police officers had just entered in search of his nephew on the night of his alleged murder.

Nathan Coulthard was among a number of Mr Walker's family members to give evidence on Wednesday for the eighth day of NT cop Zachary Rolfe's murder trial in Darwin.

Mr Coulthard, who is married to 19-year-old Mr Walker's adoptive mother Leanne Oldfield and described Mr Walker as "like a nephew," lives in Alice Springs, but was in the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu on the night of the shooting to attend the funeral of Mr Walker's great uncle.

Kumanjayi Walker's family leave the Darwin Supreme Court.

With the assistance of a Warlpiri language interpreter, Mr Coulthard told the court about the events leading up to the shooting.

"I saw the police coming in two directions," he said.

"The looked like they was in a hurry."

The police officers he was referring to were Constable Rolfe, 30, and his partner Constable Adam Eberl. He saw them coming from where he was sitting on a bed outside the house he was staying in that night - the house Mr Walker was inside of.

"We're looking for [Kumanjayi] Walker," Constable Eberl is heard to say to him.

The pair then go inside.

"Then you heard gunshots?" Crown prosecutor Joanne Poole asked Mr Coulthard.

"Yes," he replied.

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The officers were looking for Mr Walker as members of the Immediate Response Team (IRT), which was deployed from Alice Springs to Yuendumu that evening to assist with Mr Walker's arrest.

Mr Walker had been an active "arrest target" for around a week after breaching a court order by fleeing a residential rehab in Alice Springs to return home for the funeral.

Constables Rolfe and Eberl found Mr Walker inside that home and went to arrest him when he pulled out a pair of medical scissors and stabbed Mr Rolfe in the shoulder.

Constable Rolfe shot Mr Walker three times in the chest in response, with Mr Walker dying from his injuries around an hour later in the Yuendumu police station.

Kumanjayi Walker's uncle Nathan Coulthard.

The court was also shown body worn camera footage of the moments leading up to the shooting, but from the perspective of another IRT member, Constable James Kirstenfeldt.

The footage shows Constable Kirstenfeldt speaking to residents over the fence of the house next to the one Constables Rolfe and Eberl had gone to.

The sound of gunshots are then heard from the adjacent house followed by the sound of screaming from residents who have begun to gather around, realising what has just happened.

The evidence Constable Kirstenfeldt's gave on Tuesday was today called into question by lead prosecutor Philip Strickland SC, especially Constable Kirstenfeldt's comment that he had never seen an email from Sergeant Frost outlining an arrest plan for Mr Walker on the night of his death.

Mr Strickland today showed the court footage of an earlier police interview Constable Kirstenfeldt gave, during which he said he "skimmed" the email.

CCTV footage of Constable Kirstenfeldt on the night he arrived in Yuendumu. Source: Supreme Court of the NT

"Your evidence that you don't recall being given an email by Julie Frost and you don't recall what its contents were, are those answers given to try and help Mr Rolfe?" Mr Strickland asked.

"No, it's because I don't recall the exact content of that email," Constable Kirstenfeldt replied.

Constable Rolfe has pleaded not guilty to murder as well as two alternative lesser charges in relation to the shooting.

The trial continues.

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