Angry members of the public gathered around the Alice Springs hospital on the night of the alleged murder of Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker, while the cop accused of killing him was being treated inside.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Constable Zachary Rolfe had just done the four-hour drive from the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu to the nearest city of Alice Springs, where he lived, after the shooting which took place around 7.20pm that night.
News of the shooting had already spread on social media in those few short hours, and people were angry.
Even the doctor who was treating Constable Rolfe that night, Dr Kerrie Sutherland, had heard about it.
She told the court on Friday that Constable Rolfe informed her he was involved in the shooting, but she had no idea he was the alleged shooter.
READ MORE:
"He was acting like he had a lot of adrenaline," Dr Sutherland recalled.
"He wasn't angry, he just wanted a tetanus shot and to get out of there.
"There were a lot of people yelling and screaming outside from the public. We could hear them all from inside the department."
She said Constable Rolfe left the hospital through the back door.
Dr Sutherland was among the first of the prosecution's expert witnesses to give evidence, with experienced combat surgeon Dr Keith Towsey also taking the stand on Friday.
During his evidence, the jury was shown a diagram for the autopsy of the three gunshot wounds Mr Walker sustained - labelled as A1, B1 and C1.
Dr Towsey told the court he believed B1 was the fatal wound, as the bullet passed through Mr Walker's liver, kidney and spleen.
"Those three organs in particular have quite a rich blood supply and penetrating trauma to them often causes quite extensive bleeding, which can be difficult to control."
Constable Rolfe is accused of murdering Mr Walker by shooting him three times in the chest, the second two being at point blank range, after Mr Walker stabbed him in the shoulder with a pair of scissors during an attempted arrest.
It is the second and third shots that are the subject of the murder charge, with the prosecution deeming the first shot to be legally justified.
However, Dr Towsey told the court the first shot, A1, would not have impacted the arm Mr Walker was wielding the scissors with.
"It has not struck any major organs to cause a major haemorrhage," he said.
"It has not affected the major muscle groups that provide power to the shoulder and it has not affected any of the nerve supply of the shoulder."
"Anatomically, I can't see how the missile tract at A1 would affect his ability to use his right arm."
During cross-examination by Mr Rolfe's lawyer, David Edwardson QC, Dr Towsey said he did not consider the first shot to be "incapacitating to the deceased".
Dr Towsey also said a pair of scissors could be used to inflict a fatal injury if they penetrated a person's arteries or veins.
But he rejected an assertion by Rolfe's lawyer, David Edwardson QC, that the scissors Mr Walker used to stab the constable were surgical scissors.
"They just look to me like a generic pair of scissors that you get at any stationery shop," he said.
Dr Towsey also told the court during cross-examination that he had been contacted by a police officer around two years ago and asked to provide an opinion as to whether a stab wound to the neck with scissors could be fatal.
He said the conversation had taken place over the phone and he wasn't asked to file an official report, but he was sent an email containing images of the scissors used by Mr Walker by one of the detectives working on the case.
The exchange prompted Mr Edwardson to request the disclosure of any communication between the officer and the doctor.
Earlier, the jury heard that Senior Constable Anthony Hawkings, who witnessed Rolfe fire the second and third shots, had previously told investigators Mr Walker was contained when he was fatally shot.
Prosecutor Philip Strickland SC reminded him of his statement to police soon after the incident in which Senior Constable Hawkings said Constable Rolfe and Constable Adam Eberl "looked like [they] had contained or were containing the guy [Mr Walker]".
But on Friday he said Constable Rolfe and Constable Eberl "were in the process of attempting to contain Mr Walker" when the shots were fired.
"It was a very active situation," he said.
"I saw them wrestling on the ground."
Senior Constable Hawkings also agreed with Mr Edwardson that Mr Walker had not released the scissors he stabbed Constable Rolfe in the shoulder with when he was shot.
"He was not incapacitated was he?" Mr Edwardson said.
Senior Constable Hawkings replied, "No."
Senior Constable Hawkings' body worn camera recorded him running towards an open door at Mr Walker's grandmother's house after Constable Rolfe fired his first shot.
As he approached the doorway Constable Rolfe can be seen standing over Constable Eberl and Mr Walker just before he fires the second and third shots.
Senior Constable Hawkings told the court on Thursday that Mr Walker was laying on a mattress on the ground when Constable Rolfe fired.
Moments later the camera records Mr Walker laying face down with his arms and hands behind his back as Constable Rolfe and Constable Eberl handcuff him.
He was still holding the scissors in his right hand.
The trial continues on Monday.
- with AAP
