NT police will not lay charges against officers over Kumanjayi White’s death while being restrained at Coles

Northern Territory police will not lay any charges against officers after an Indigenous man died while being restrained in an Alice Springs supermarket in 2025. Kumanjayi White, a 24‑year‑old Warlpiri man who lived with cognitive disabilities, died on 27 May last year during a confrontation with police in a Coles supermarket. Police alleged White was shoplifting and said plainclothes officers had stepped in after an altercation with a security guard. White’s family are suing NT police over the death, alleging that two officers involved acted unlawfully in apprehending him and taking him into custody. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email On Tuesday, the NT police commissioner, Martin Dole, announced that the department of police prosecutions declined to lay charges, citing a lack of available evidence after “a thorough investigation”. “Every effort was made to ensure the investigation was appropriately resourced and conducted in a thorough and fair manner,” Dole said. “A brief of evidence was submitted to the director of public prosecutions for their opinion. Following consideration of all available evidence, including the independent expert report, the DPP formed the view that there was no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution,” Dole told reporters. …