Hundreds of mourners gathered for an emotional vigil at the Alice Springs supermarket where a young man died while in custody, as the Northern Territory Police rejected calls for an external investigation into the incident.
Warlpiri elders have called for witnesses to Tuesday’s tragedy to come forward and help understand what led to the death of 24-year-old Kumanjayi White – named in this masthead with the family’s permission – who first had an altercation with a security guard before being restrained by two police officers.
Ned Hargraves, a Warlpiri elder, called the vigil for his grandson at the Coles supermarket from noon on Friday, leading to an outpouring of grief and anger among the mourners.
Mourners walk through the aisles of Coles in Alice Springs.Credit: ABC
“Every day our black fellas, yapa, getting stopped,” Hargraves told the vigil.
“It’s gotta stop. We respect you – how about us? Respect us.
“We were meant to be working together, but we’re not.”
Hargraves thanked the community for their support and said he hoped it wouldn’t happen again.
“Hear our words,” he said. “Hear us, this cannot keep going.”
Messages and tributes of bouquets and gum leaves were left at the front of the store where mourners comforted each other and wailed with grief.
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