Kumanjayi White, 24, died in Alice Springs in May 2025 after the plain-clothes officers held him down in a supermarket aisle, sparking national outrage and rallies calling for an independent investigation.
A year after Mr White's death, Northern Territory Police confirmed on Tuesday that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had provided advice on whether to prosecute the officers.
"The DPP formed the view that there was no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution," NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole told reporters in Alice Springs on Tuesday.
Mr Dole acknowledged the decision would cause "significant distress, pain, and anger" for Mr White's family, for many Aboriginal people across Central Australia and the territory, and for the broader community,
Mr White, who had a mental disability and was in care, died on May 27 in the Alice Springs supermarket's confectionery aisle.
Police allege he was shoplifting and assaulted a security guard.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr White's family said they were heartbroken over the decision and asked when they would get justice.
They said they were going into a "black-out" for a week and asked to be left alone.
NT Police rejected calls for an independent inquiry and refused to stand the officers down or release CCTV footage of the incident, as demanded by Mr White's family led by his grandfather Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves.
As part of the investigation, NT Police engaged an independent expert to conduct a use of force review, which went to the DPP along with a police brief of evidence.
Mr Dole said he understood emotions were high and he asked the community to approach the coming days peacefully and respectfully.
Resources were in place in case of trouble following recent riots sparked by the capture of Jefferson Lewis, charged with murdering five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby near Alice Springs on April 25.
NT Police would co-operate fully with the coronial inquest into the death, listen to any recommendations and make appropriate changes if required, Mr Dole said.
Trust between Aboriginal communities and police was fragile in many places, particularly after deaths in custody, NT Police Cultural Reform director Leanne Liddle said.
"The cultural reform under way within the Northern Territory police does not stop because of difficult conversations or controversial outcomes," she said.
"In many respects moments like this reinforce why that work is necessary."
Outspoken senator Lidia Thorpe said it was an error to have police investigating police, labelling the NT force "racist".
"As long as we have cops investigating cops, we're never going to get an outcome,'' she said in Canberra on Tuesday.
In October, NT Coroner Elisabeth Armitage told Mr White's family the inquest was a "slow but careful and considered process".
"We will continue to work consistently and thoroughly to ensure there is a full investigation and that as much of the truth can be uncovered as possible," she told an Alice Springs courtroom.
Mr White was originally from the same outback Yuendumu community that lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019, when he was shot by then-NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a botched arrest.
Mr Rolfe was found not guilty of all charges over the death in 2022 but Ms Armitage said in her coronial findings she could not exclude the possibility racist attitudes contributed to his decision to pull the trigger.
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