Allegations that ACT Police pointed a gun at an Aboriginal child during a case of mistaken identity have sparked condemnation by Indigenous groups, who say the incident is a clear example of racial profiling.
The young Aboriginal boy was reportedly travelling on a public bus this month to visit family when police cars stopped the bus. Officers boarded with weapons drawn and, without asking his name or explaining their actions, removed the child.
Police were believed to be searching for a 15-year-old accused of armed robbery and carjackings.
In a statement, the family said what happened "was not a misunderstanding" but rather a "gross violation of a child's human rights". They said their nephew "did not match the description", emphasising that he was unarmed and simply sitting on the bus, minding his own business.
"Your officers pointed a gun at him," they said. "Your officers dragged him off a bus. Your officers slammed him onto the ground. Your officers pinned him down with their knees. And even after realising they had the wrong boy, they still searched him; a terrified child who kept saying, 'I didn't do anything.'".
The family said the child — who had committed no offence — was "treated like a criminal, treated like a threat, treated like he was less than human".
They argued the experience had deeply affected the child. Already coping with the loss of his father and the absence of his mother, he is now unable to leave the house, refuses to take a bus, and is startled by noises.
"He lives in fear of police... and that fear was created by your officers," the family say.
"He depends on the small circle of family he has left: his grandmother, aunties, uncles, siblings, and cousins who hold him up every day. He is a child who needed care, protection, and understanding, not guns, force, and terror.
"This trauma will not disappear. It has changed him. It has changed us."
According to the family, the child was placed back on the bus after the incident without "any proper apology", causing "considerable concern for the family and right across the local Aboriginal community".
They also said they were not contacted afterwards by the police to check on the child's well-being.
"This incident is not just about misconduct," the boy's family said. "It is evidence of a systemic failure; a system that continues to over-police, over-target, and over-harm First Nations children."
National Indigenous Times has contacted the ACT Police for comment.
In a joint statement, the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body (ATSIEB), the Acting ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children & Young People Commissioner, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, and Yeddung Mura described the event as an act of "racial profiling", calling it "outrageous, unacceptable, and a devastating breach of safety and trust".
"A gun pointed at the Aboriginal boy on a bus is not a mistake — it is a catastrophic failure of judgement, process, and humanity," ATSIEB Justice and Community Safety Representative Kaylene McLeod said.
"There is no world in which this response is justified."
Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs OAM said the community was "exhausted by incidents like this".
"This young person deserves safety, respect and protection; not a gun pointed at him," she said. "This cannot be excused or downplayed."
In a statement, the family said they are demanding full accountability, a transparent investigation, as well disciplinary action for the officers involved, and meaningful reform in the ACT Police.
They are also seeking immediate access to body-worn camera footage and the incident report, disciplinary action against the involved officers, and a public apology to their nephew.
"Our family refuses to let this become another 'internal review,' another 'training opportunity,' or another line in a report that gets buried and forgotten. We are not going away," they said.
"What happened to our nephew was not an accident; it was a violent breach of duty, a failure of basic humanity, and a direct violation of his human rights."
