A large rally was held outside the Toowoomba courthouse today to mark the beginning of the coronial inquest into the death in custody of Indigenous man Steven Nixon-McKellar. Warning: this story contains the image and name of an indigenous person who has died, with the consent of his family.
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00:00 Through the park and across town, dozens marched for justice.
00:09 Supporters lit candles for Stephen Nixon McKellar and laid flowers at the Toowoomba Courthouse.
00:14 Inside an inquest is investigating the 27-year-old's death in police custody.
00:18 Although we can't do anything to help him, we really want to be a part of the solution
00:24 to stop this from happening again.
00:26 Stephen Nixon McKellar died in 2021 after an altercation with police, during which pressure
00:31 was applied to his neck, causing him to lose consciousness.
00:35 Police body cam footage was played to the inquest.
00:37 Two officers can be seen wrestling with the man after he left a suspected stolen vehicle.
00:42 A police officer is heard yelling to a colleague to choke the c*** out.
00:46 A neck restraint is applied to Mr Nixon McKellar, then an officer yells, "He's asleep.
00:51 Let him go."
00:52 Outside the court, Raylene Nixon said the restraint should never have been used.
00:56 We will be fighting for a complete ban of the use of that chokehold in Queensland.
01:02 The inquest has been set down for a week.
01:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]