Image: Jai Wright, an Indigenous teenager who died after colliding with an unmarked police car.
An inquest into the death of Dunghutti teen Jai Wright, who died on February 20 in 2022, will begin tomorrow.
The 16-year-old was riding a track bike at the time in Sydney’s inner west, suspected to be a stolen vehicle, when he hit a ramp, colliding with an unmarked police car. He died the next day in hospital.
At the time, Lachlan Wright, Jai’s father, said the family was given inconsistent information by police as to what caused his son’s death. He then called for an independent investigation into the incident.
A year later, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) revealed no charges would be laid, further delaying the coroner’s inquest.
Almost two years after the teenager’s death, the inquest will begin, which is expected to run for two weeks.
State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan will preside over the inquest, which is expected to investigate issues including the roles played by police officers in the collision and whether it was appropriate to attempt to stop Jai.
Jai’s parents, Lachlan Wright and Kylie Aloua, will be represented by the Aboriginal Legal Centre.
At least 558 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody and police operations since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, which began in October 1987.
