Zachary Rolfe is the NT police officer who has been found not guilty in the Kumanjayi Walker murder.
The 19 years old Kumanjayi Walker died in November 2019 after being shot three times during an attempted arrest. According to the evidence presented in court, Constable Zachary Rolfe fired his Glock handgun after the victim had stabbed him in the shoulder with a pair of medical scissors, writes ABC News.
The case has gained national interest as the white police officer shot an indigenous man. Many people claimed that the officer acted to protect himself, whereas many have a different opinion regarding racism. Finally, the verdict has been announced, and here are the details of the case.
Who Is NT Police Officer Zachary Rolfe?
An NT police officer, Zachary Rolfe, was charged with the murder of Kumanjayo Walker in 2019. Rolfe attempted to arrest Walker in the rural village of Yuendumu, roughly 300 kilometers from Alice Springs, in November 2019.
But, Walker attacked Rolfe with scissors; as a result, the officer fired the first shot. However, he did not shoot only one time. Instead, he fired 2.6 seconds again after the first shot and then again 0.5 seconds later.
Zachary Rolfe did nothing wrong.
He was STABBED by a violent criminal who’d threatened two of his colleagues with an axe.
Police, like anyone, have the right to self-defence.
He should have never been charged.https://t.co/V4V3erCD1L
The prosecutor argued that these last two rounds were fired from close range while Rolfe's colleague, then-constable Adam Eberl, attempted to detain Walker. Thus, the victim no longer constituted a danger to Rolfe or Eberl at that point.
However, the defendant said that Walker was trying to stab his colleague Eberl at the time of the shot. Thus, he did it to save his colleague's life.
Constable Zachary Rolfe Found Not Guilty in Kumanjayi Walker Murder
Zachary Rolfe, the constable, was found not guilty of the murder of Kumanjayi Walker. Although prosecutors alleged that he was lying in the witness box and affecting the crucial evidence of the case when he said he pulled the last two triggers to save his colleague.
JUST IN: Rolfe found not guilty.
This is an excellent outcome. He should never have been charged.
But standby for the screams of racism and BLM from the comfort of the armchairs of those who have never had their lives threatened with a deadly weapon.https://t.co/e6XyteLJLp
The court hears the prosecution claiming that the last two shots were intentional because, by that time, Adam had already restraint Walker. Nevertheless, by keeping all the evidence and words from the prosecution defendant, the jury announced the accused was not guilty.
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Zachary Rolfe Verdict Details
According to The Guardian, the verdict on Zachary Rolfe was that he was not guilty of the murder.The 30 years old was charged with manslaughter and engaging in violent conduct resulting in death.
Zachary Rolfe is a hero.
He acted to protect himself and his fellow officers from a violent criminal and in doing so no doubt prevented more people from becoming victims in the future.
Being indigenous does not give you a free pass to stab a police officer.#Justice pic.twitter.com/nsCe4obXga
The judgment came after a nearly five-week trial at the Supreme Court. The case was repeatedly postponed due to legal arguments and the pandemic.
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