Wed May 28 09:48:35 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text:
**Tragedy in Alice Springs: Aboriginal Man Dies After Police Restraint**
**Alice Springs, Central Australia** – A 24-year-old disabled Aboriginal man from Yuendumu has died after being restrained by police at a supermarket in Alice Springs on Tuesday, sparking outrage and calls for an independent investigation.
According to the Northern Territory Police Force (NTPF), the man was restrained by two plainclothes officers after supermarket staff reported him for allegedly concealing items in his clothing. Shortly after the restraint, “the man stopped breathing,” according to the NTPF, who are describing the incident as a “death in custody”. The police have not released details regarding the type of restraint used.
Senator Lidia Thorpe has strongly condemned the incident, describing it as part of a “brutal pattern” of Indigenous deaths at the hands of police. “He was hungry, and he needed care. Instead, he was met with brutal force,” Thorpe stated in a post on social media.
The National Network of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls has demanded a full and immediate independent investigation, explicitly excluding NT Police involvement.
Assistant Northern Territory Police Commissioner Travis Wurst has said that police are attempting to contact the man’s family and keep them informed of the situation. The NTPF stated that “police will now investigate this matter on behalf of the coroner”.
The death occurs as the Yuendumu community awaits the findings of an inquest into the 2019 fatal police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker, further amplifying tensions. Constable Zachary Rolfe was acquitted of Walker’s murder in 2022.
This incident underscores the disproportionate number of First Nations people affected by deaths in custody in Australia, a longstanding issue highlighted by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
First Piper 