Gordon Copeland: inquest begins into death of Indigenous man who drowned after being followed by police

An inquest into the death of a 22-year-old Gomeroi man who drowned in a Moree river after allegedly running from police, has heard harrowing evidence about his final moments.

The New South Wales coroner is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Gordon Copeland, who died in the Gwydir river in the early hours of 10 July 2021.

The Moree court heard Copeland, a father of three, ran into the swollen river after police followed the vehicle in which he was a passenger.

On Monday Dwyer told the inquest police officers had begun to follow the black sedan in which Copeland was travelling over misplaced concerns the vehicle was stolen.

The coroner heard that officers saw the occupants leave the vehicle after it became stuck on an unsealed road. After searching the river and not locating anybody, the officers left the scene in the early hours of the morning, returning an hour later to collect evidence.

She said that his family were told to file a missing persons report after they had failed to locate him and were told incorrectly that he was in custody before local police then told the family he was not.

Dwyer told the court that body-worn cameras showed probationary constables searching the river in the initial stages, before police returned for the second time, had spent only 13 minutes looking for anyone who may have fallen down the embankment.

The inquest continues.