Current:Home > Finance95-year-old great-grandmother tasered by police in Australia nursing home dies of her injuries-LoTradeCoin
95-year-old great-grandmother tasered by police in Australia nursing home dies of her injuries
View Date:2024-12-23 23:03:08
A 95-year-old great-grandmother died Wednesday a week after being tasered by an Australian police officer inside her nursing home, police said. The woman, Clare Nowland, "passed away peacefully in hospital just after 7pm this evening, surrounded by family and loved ones," New South Wales state police said in a statement.
An Australian policeman was charged with three counts of assault Wednesday over the tasering of Nowland, who suffered from dementia.
The 33-year-old senior police constable was charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault, the police said in a statement.
The officer, who has been suspended with pay, will face court on July 5.
"Investigations into the critical incident continue," the police said.
Officers had been called to Yallambee Lodge nursing home in southern New South Wales by staff who told them a woman was "armed with a knife."
Police said the responding officers urged Nowland to drop a serrated steak knife before she moved toward them "at a slow pace" with her walking frame, prompting one officer to fire his taser at her.
Local businessman and community advocate Andrew Thaler, speaking not long after the incident to Australian television, said Nowland was "about 5-foot-2 and weighs all of 43 kilos [about 95 pounds], she can't walk on her own without walking assistance."
"The use of a taser when a kind word was all she needed, if she was confused — which is what happens with people who have dementia — she needed kind words and assistance and help," Thaler said. "She didn't need the force of the law, as it were."
Some politicians are calling for a New South Wales regional parliamentary inquiry and the release of police bodycam video of the confrontation.
"The tasering of Ms Nowland has sparked a community outrage that shows how desperately we need police reform," state lawmaker Sue Higginson, of the Greens party, said this week. "The refusal to release the bodycam footage protects NSW Police from public scrutiny for all the wrong reasons — the NSW community has a right to know exactly what happened when Clare Nowland was tasered so we can start to take the steps needed for change."
- In:
- Police Shooting
- Australia
- Police Officers
- Nursing Home
veryGood! (57)
Related
- Wisconsin authorities believe kayaker staged his disappearance and fled to Europe
- Israel agrees to daily 4-hour humanitarian pauses in northern Gaza fighting
- Michael J. Fox talks funding breakthrough research for Parkinson's disease
- Suspect released in fatal stabbing of Detroit synagogue leader
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- A tiny deer and rising seas: How far should people go to save an endangered species?
- The UAW won big in the auto strike — but what does it mean for the rest of us?
- College football Week 11 grades: Michigan misses mark crying over Jim Harbaugh suspension
- Oprah Winfrey denies being paid $1M for Kamala Harris rally: 'I was not paid a dime'
- Anti-mining protesters in Panama say road blockades will be suspended for 12 hours on Monday
Ranking
- Appeals Court Affirms Conviction of Everglades Scientist Accused of Stealing ‘Trade Secrets’
- Britney Spears reveals her 'girl crush' on 'unbelievable' Taylor Swift with throwback pics
- Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina says he is dropping out of the 2024 GOP presidential race
- UK leader fires interior minister and brings ex-leader Cameron back to government in surprise move
- Chicago Bears will ruin Caleb Williams if they're not careful | Opinion
- Washington's Alphonzo Tuputala drops pick-six before goal line; Huskies respond with safety
- Why is Thanksgiving so expensive? Here's what the data says
- Deshaun Watson engineers long-awaited signature performance in Browns' comeback vs. Ravens
Recommendation
-
Eva Longoria calls US 'dystopian' under Trump, has moved with husband and son
-
Astros will promote bench coach Joe Espada to be manager, replacing Dusty Baker, AP source says
-
Vatican says transgender people can be baptized and become godparents — but with caveats
-
The 18 Best Deals on Christmas Trees That Are Easy to Assemble
-
Wicked's Ethan Slater Shares How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Set the Tone on Set
-
Barbie Secrets Revealed: All the Fantastic Behind-the-Scenes Bombshells
-
Pain, fatigue, fuzzy thinking: How long COVID disrupts the brain
-
No. 3 Duke basketball loses to Caleb Love, No. 11 Arizona in top-15 showdown