A committal hearing into the death of Yuendumu teenager Kumanjayi Walker has heard two of the three shots fired at the 19-year-old were “excessive, unreasonable and unnecessary.”
Constable Zachary Rolfe is facing a charge of murder over the death of Mr Walker during an attempted arrest at the remote central Australian community in November last year.
On Thursday criminologist Dr Geoffrey Alpert said he agreed the first shot was fired in response to Constable Rolfe being stabbed with scissors by Mr Walker but the following two shots were “unnecessary.”
Dr Alpert, who told the court he had evaluated “hundreds” of officer-involved shootings, said Rolfe had the “time, the distance and the ability to reassess” before firing his weapon again.
This week’s committal hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence for Constable Rolfe to be put on trial in the Supreme Court.
