Overview

• Two plainclothes NT Police officers restrained a 24-year-old man from Yuendumu at an Alice Springs Coles supermarket on May 27 following an altercation over alleged shoplifting.
• The man lost consciousness during the restraint and was pronounced dead at Alice Springs Hospital shortly after 2:20pm.
• A May 28 autopsy by the Northern Territory’s chief forensic pathologist recorded an undetermined cause of death and noted further investigation is needed.
• The NT Police Major Crime Squad has obtained CCTV and body-worn camera footage for the coroner’s inquiry into the death in custody.
• Senior Warlpiri elder Ned Hargraves, the family and advocates such as Senator Lidia Thorpe have demanded transparency and challenged the care provided to the disabled man under state guardianship.