Arabic version: عائلة وايت تنهي الإجراءات القانونية وتطالب بإجابات

According to ABC News, legal action brought by the family of Kumanjayi White against the NT Police Force has been discontinued after police provided new information about the decision not to prosecute two officers involved in his death.

White, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man with disabilities, died after being restrained by two police officers in the confectionery aisle of an Alice Springs Coles supermarket in May 2025. Police said earlier this year that no charges would be laid after advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The family had sought information about the decision, including who made the final call. Their case was due to be heard on Thursday, but was discontinued because a court order was no longer required. White’s grandfather, Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, said NT Police told the family’s lawyer that Acting Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst made the final decision not to prosecute.

The decision was based on a DPP determination that the matter should not be prosecuted because “the legal threshold required has not been met”. Mr Hargraves said the family still wanted details of the reasoning, including which possible charges were considered and why they were ruled out. He said the family’s lawyers were investigating whether the NT Police decision could be challenged in court.

NT Police declined to comment. In May, Commissioner Martin Dole said the investigation had been appropriately resourced and conducted thoroughly and fairly. Police said they had obtained an independent interstate use-of-force report and legal advice from interstate senior and junior counsel. White’s cause of death has not been released because the coronial investigation remains ongoing.