The Northern Territory Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has decided not to lay charges against the police officers involved in the 2025 death of Kumanjayi White.
The 24-year-old Warlpiri man died after being restrained by two plainclothes police officers at an Alice Springs supermarket in May last year.
The decision was announced one day before the anniversary of White’s death.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said: “Immense grief and pain is being felt”.
Here’s what you need to know.
Background
Last year, White, who had cognitive disabilities, was visiting Alice Springs from the remote community of Yuendumu to access care and services.
At a supermarket, two plainclothes police officers restrained him, following an alleged altercation with a security guard.
White stopped breathing during the incident and was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said the incident would be investigated as a death in police custody.
Latest
On Tuesday, NT Police held a press conference to announce the DPP’s decision.
The DPP is an independent authority responsible for prosecuting criminal offences on behalf of the Northern Territory.
Police Commissioner Martin Dole said the DPP determined there were “no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution”.
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“We recognise this outcome may be difficult for Kumanjayi White’s family. A man lost his life. That fact remains at the centre of this matter, and it must never be lost in legal or procedural discussions.” – NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole said.
Response
In a statement shared to the ABC, White’s family said: “We’re heartbroken, we’re angry”.
They said the police arrived “with hardly any notice”, and that some family were in Alice Springs for sorry business for Kumanjayi Little Baby.
The family said they felt “grief, on top of grief, on top of grief.”
Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said she “expect[s] there will be many questions about how this decision was reached.”
What’s next?
A coronial inquest is underway to determine White’s official cause of death.
NT Police Executive Director of Cultural Reform Leanne Liddle said the inquest provides “an opportunity for all of the circumstances surrounding Kumanjayi White’s death to be independently examined”.
McCarthy also said White’s family “are pursuing an unlawful death civil case through the courts.”
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