The friend of a Northern Territory policeman who shot dead an Indigenous teenager has defended the officer’s racist text messages before the incident.

Constable Zachary Rolfe shot Kumanjayi Walker, 19, three times during a botched arrest at Yuendumu, northwest of Alice Springs, on November 9, 2019.

An inquest into the Walpiri man’s death heard on Monday that Const Rolfe used the word c**n in a text to a former army buddy and fellow police officer, Constable Mark Sykes, in the months before the shooting.

It was one of numerous text conversations the inquest has heard Const Rolfe took part in where racist terms, such as n*****, were used to describe Aboriginal people.

Asked by counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer if he thought such terms were racist, Const Sykes said: “I don’t think it’s racist language.”

The officer said he Googled ‘racism’ before he entered the witness box and didn’t believe it fitted the dictionary definition.

“I’ve never seen someone treat someone with prejudice,” he said of his police colleagues in Alice Springs.

“What I’ve seen in those text messages is very inappropriate and somewhat mindless but I haven’t seen it to be anything more than that.”

Dr Dwyer asked Const Sykes why he refused to acknowledge the use of such words was racist and offensive.

“I read that definition and it seemed to suggest there needed to be more than this, more than immature inappropriate language to be a racist,” Const Sykes said.

“I accept that is a racist term and for some people using it they probably are, but in my time spent with Zac I never saw that take action.”

Dr Dwyer asked Const Sykes: “Did it jar with you that (Const Rolfe) used that language?”

“At the time I can’t remember if it did or didn’t,” he said.

“Most definitely now … The high exposure of these once private texts that are now out there.

“I think that any person in the community could be offended.”

Dr Dwyer put to the policeman: “Any right minded person in the community should be offended by the use of that terms. Do you agree with that?”

“I do ma’am,” Const Sykes said.

Dr Dwyer then asked: “Do you agree it is unacceptable for police to use the term (c***) in text exchanges with each other?”

“I do agree,” Const Sykes replied.

He also agreed the use of racist language could lead to Aboriginal people being dehumanised and had the potential to impact police behaviour when interacting with them.

The hearing in Alice Springs continues.