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A Warlpiri Elder is demanding answers after his 24-year-old grandson died following a police incident at a Coles supermarket in Alice Springs on Tuesday.
Uncle Ned says the family and community are devastated and seeking transparency after the death of a 24-year-old man in Alice Springs.
“We know that he was held down … until he lost consciousness and perished,” Uncle Ned said.
“But at the moment we are in the dark about what really happened.”
The young man, who had a disability and was living in supported accommodation, died at the scene after being restrained by police inside a supermarket.
Uncle Ned has criticised police for making public statements in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
“It is disgraceful that police are already putting out stories that portray my jaja as a criminal. We demand they stop spreading stories and show some respect.”
He is calling for the immediate release of CCTV and body-worn camera footage so the family and community can understand the full circumstances surrounding his grandson’s death.
The man had been living in Alice Springs, away from his home community, due to his need for disability support. Uncle Ned questioned why he was alone in a public setting and the approach taken by police.
“What are the police doing using such force on a vulnerable young man in a supermarket? Did they even try to de-escalate? Why was he there alone, where were the carers who were supposed to be responsible for him?” he said.
NT Police said officers were responding to a report of alleged theft when they restrained the man.
Assistant Commissioner Martin Dole told media that the man was taken to the ground and “remained on the ground for a number of minutes” before becoming unresponsive.
“We can confirm the male was taken to the ground and he remained on the ground for a number of minutes before general duties frontline officers came to the Coles complex and placed handcuffs on the male,” he said.
“About this point it was determined that the male had lost consciousness, the handcuffs were removed, first aid was administered immediately, and that did include some CPR.”
He said the man was transported to Alice Springs Hospital, where he was later declared deceased.
Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst expressed condolences to the family and community,
A critical incident investigation is now underway, with oversight from the NT Police Professional Standards Command.
The incident occurred on the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death in the United States and during Australia’s Reconciliation Week.
In his statement, Uncle Ned also raised broader concerns about the treatment of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, referencing high incarceration rates, the legacy of the NT Intervention, and recent policy decisions by the NT Government.
“My people are being routinely brutalised by police. We are going into jail in record numbers—men, women and children alike,” he said.
He criticised the withdrawal of funding from a community-led Law and Justice Group in Yuendumu, approved under the NT Sentencing Act in 2024, as well as the lack of support for the Kurdiji Wita Yuendumu Cultural Authority.
“Our continued requests for resources to develop our own authority—the Kurdiji Wita Yuendumu Cultural Authority—have also been ignored,” he said.
Uncle Ned said his community will continue to push for justice and self-determination.
“We cannot tolerate this situation, with continued brutality and lack of respect.
“We will be calling for action from supporters to demand accountability, justice and self-determination. The deaths and the racism need to stop.”
