Constable Zachary Rolfe asked colleagues if their body-worn cameras were on as they gathered in the Yuendumu police station hours after Kumanjayi Walker died, an inquest into the shooting death has heard.
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image of a person who has died, used with the permission of their family.
Sergeant Adam Donaldson's body-worn camera footage was played to Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage, in which Constable Rolfe can be heard asking "is anyone on?" before the camera is switched off.
Judge Armitage is presiding over a three-month inquest into the police shooting, which comes after Constable Rolfe was acquitted of all charges related to Mr Walker's death.
Under cross examination by the barrister for the Walker, Lane and Robertson families, Sergeant Donaldson — a police dog handler — agreed his camera was switched off for 14 minutes, in the hours after Mr Walker died.
Barrister Claire O'Neill: "Would you agree that it appeared that Constable Rolfe was checking to see what he was about to say or do, was going to be recorded?"
Sergeant Donaldson: "I believe so, yes."
Barrister Claire O'Neill: "And in response to that enquiry, you turned off your body-worn video, do you agree with that?"
Sergeant Donaldson: "Yes, that's correct."
Barrister Claire O'Neill: "Wouldn't the fact that he asked you to turn it off, make it more important to leave it on?"
Sergeant Donaldson: "At that stage … that looked that we were no longer doing anything, and we were just stand[ing] in the main room … I think the whole point of that, was to see if everyone was okay … a lot of things had just happened."
Sergeant Donaldson told the coroner he couldn't remember what was said while the camera was off.
'Beers' at Rolfe's house after shooting a 'welfare check'
The then-acting sergeant who organised the Immediate Response Team members to deploy to Yuendumu on the day Mr Walker died told the coroner he also organised a social gathering of police officers in the days after the shooting.
Shane McCormack said he was concerned about Constable Rolfe returning "to an empty house" in the days after he shot and killed the 19-year-old, so organised a "welfare check" on the officer.
"I don't think any [welfare support] was being provided," Senior Constable McCormack said.
"At the end of the day he's gone home to an empty house … everything runs through your mind … I find welfare of young people very important."
Senior Constable McCormack told the coroner he invited the officers to "an IRT debrief" at the office, which later "morphed into beers and a barbecue at Zach's house", because he didn't think men would want to attend a "welfare check".
Constable James Kirstenfeldt, who attended the gathering, earlier told the coroner: "I think initially the [invitation] was something about a debrief and I didn't know anything about it. And … I think it might have actually been Rolfe, said it was, 'code for beers'".
The coroner has heard a "general order" within the Northern Territory police force dictated officers involved in an investigation should be separated, to avoid contaminating evidence.
While some attendees had provided a statement to investigating police before the gathering, the court heard Constable Rolfe had not yet provided a version of events about the shooting.
Senior Constable McCormack conceded the gathering was "not the best idea" given the ongoing investigation and perception of disrespect to Mr Walker's family.
"At the end of the day, [Kumanjayi] was someone's child and so that isn't lost on any of us police officers. It was purely a welfare thing," he said.
