As the fourth week of his murder trial drew to a close, Constable Zachary Rolfe faced a full day of intense cross examination by the Crown prosecution.
His version of events were examined in detail, as he faced a third day in the witness box giving evidence in his own defence.
Prosecutor Philip Strickland asked Constable Rolfe about the night of November 9, 2019 when the police officer shot Kumanjayi Walker three times in Yuendumu on Warlpiri land. The 19-year-old later died of his injuries.
The jury was led through a frame-by-frame examination of the officer’s body worn camera vision of the shooting, including the moments after the second and third shots when Constable Rolfe told his partner, “He was stabbing me. He was stabbing you."
"You’ve made that evidence up to justify the fatal shooting of Kumanjayi Walker?” asked Mr Strickland.
"Incorrect," replied Rolfe.
“Because, Constable, you had gone too far."
“Incorrect."
“You knew you had been too gung-ho?”
“Incorrect.”
Constable Rolfe has not been charged over the first shot, but it’s the Crown’s case that the second and third shots amount to murder.
Kumanjayi Walker was shot and killed by Constable Rolfe after stabbing him in the shoulder during a failed arrest. Source: Supplied
Constable Rolfe has pleaded not guilty to murder and two alternative charges.
The Crown then disputed Constable Rolfe’s testimony that Kumanjayi Walker had his hand on the accused's Glock pistol during the struggle.
“You never even shouted the word 'gun', did you?" questioned Strickland.
“No, I didn't," the officer answered.
“You didn't shout the word 'gun' because Walker's hand was never on your gun, was it?”
"Incorrect."
“You have just made up the fact that Walker had his hand on your Glock, haven't you?”
“Incorrect.”
Constable Rolfe told the court the aim of the mission to Yuendumu for his Immediate Response Team was to arrest Kumanjayi Walker.
Constable Rolfe also admitted the IRT had not discussed what they would do if they came across him, or if they were confronted by anyone with an “edged weapon.”
Constable Rolfe told the court he had "a plan in his mind" when he entered house 511 to which the crown responded:
"The clear plan in your mind was that if Kumanjayi Walker resisted you, you would shoot him. Is that right?"
"Incorrect."
"If he presented an edged weapon to you, you would shoot him. That was your clear plan, wasn't it?"
"Incorrect."
The accused was also asked about viewing body worn camera vision of the “axe incident”, in which Kumanjayi Walker had threatened local Yuendumu Police with an axe three days before he was shot.
The Crown asked about the discussions Constable Rolfe had with his partner Adam Eberl when they viewed the footage before being deployed Yuendumu.
“Did you agree with him [that] Kumanjayi Walker was lucky that he didn’t get shot that day?”
“I don’t recall if I said anything about it.”
Constable Rolfe rejected prosecution questions that he "obsessed with tracking down Kumanjayi Walker."
Earlier in the day the accused was asked about a trip he took to America after leaving the army in 2015. He undertook a five-week weapons course while there, learning how to use military style assault rifles and semi-automatic pistols.
“I travelled to America for some private training that I paid for out of my own pocket," he told the court.
"I knew that I would eventually join the police force and I believed that upskilling would be of assistance.”
The trial will now be extended into a fifth week as both sides prepare their final addresses to the jury.
