2004 Palm Island Death in Custody - Riot

Riot

For the following week public meetings were held on the Island, anger rising in the community about the death.

On Friday 26 November 2004 the results of the autopsy report were read to a public meeting by then Palm Island Council Chairwoman Erykah Kyle. Although the autopsy report was medical and did not state what caused his death, it did list possible causes which included that the multiple injuries sustained could have been consistent with him falling off a concrete step at the Palm Island watchhouse. The deceased was 181 cm tall and weighed 74 kilograms. Hurley was 201 cm tall and weighed 115 kilograms. The injury may have been caused by Hurley falling on the deceased. The Coroner later stated that the autopsy was "far too sensitive and private" to be publicly released. Subsequent to the autopsy report reading a succession of angry young Aboriginal men spoke to the crowd and encouraged immediate action be taken against the police. Mulrunji's death was repeatedly branded "cold-blooded murder". A riot erupted involving an estimated 400 people, half of them school children.

A crowd headed initially for the police station. The local courthouse, police station, Hurley's home and the police barracks were burned down. 18 local police had to repeatedly retreat; firstly receding from the station to the residential barracks, when the barracks were also set alight they (and their families) withdrew to the hospital and barricaded themselves in. Cars and machinery were driven onto the runway, blocking all aircraft movement. Even the (Aboriginal) volunteer fire brigade had stones thrown at them while they tried to put out the courthouse and police station fires.

As the riot occurred during the school lunch break it was witnessed by many children. As a way of helping them understand and cope with the on-going trauma they had experienced children were later encouraged to express themselves through art, one of the resulting pieces was titled "We saw the police station burn. I want people to have love."

The volatile situation was attributed to the lack of consultation with the family and community combined with the premature public release of the autopsy report. They appeared to have jumped to a conclusion given their description of the death as "cold blooded murder".