New Four-Part Documentary Examines 2019 Northern Territory Police Shooting

A four-part documentary series titled 2.6 Seconds: Death in the Outback examines the 2019 killing of 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker by police officer Zachary Rolfe in the remote Northern Territory community of Yuendumu. Directed by Darren Dale, the series title references the time gap between the first and second of three shots fired by Rolfe during the fatal incident.

The documentary revisits the legal proceedings that followed the shooting. Three years after the incident, following a five-week trial, Rolfe was found not guilty of murder and cleared of two other charges. A coroner subsequently found Rolfe to be racist, noting that an attitude of racism could not be ruled out as playing a role in Walker's death.

According to The Guardian — Australia review, the documentary features interviews with several figures, including journalist and author Kate Wild, who describes the case as emblematic of Australian history and Indigenous deaths in custody. Journalist Nino Bucci asserts in the program that the death was avoidable, stating that Rolfe should not have been a police officer and that Walker should have remained in custody.

The series explores the distinct backgrounds of both men. Walker experienced cognitive and health challenges, a difficult childhood, and prior encounters with the law, including threatening officers with an axe five months before his death. Rolfe's background included military service in Afghanistan, advanced weapons training in the United States, and subsequent employment with the Northern Territory police force based in Alice Springs.

Current and former law enforcement personnel interviewed in the series describe the operational environment in Alice Springs as challenging. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Martin Dole characterizes policing in the area as extremely challenging, while police commander James Gray-Spence and former senior constable Carey Joy describe an unprecedented wave of crime and difficult conditions for new recruits.

The review notes that the documentary presents an extensive amount of detail, covering topics such as poverty, intergenerational trauma, and institutional racism. While praising the production's journalistic rigor, the reviewer observes that the density of information occasionally struggles to establish clear through-lines or conclusions.