The New South Wales (NSW) police department in Australia said on Wednesday, May 24, that a 95-year-old lady who was tasered by police last week at a nursing home had passed away.
Clare Nowland, a great-grandmother, was in critical condition at the hospital when she collapsed to the floor after being tased, sustaining significant brain injuries.
A police spokesman said on Facebook, "Mrs. Nowland passed away peacefully in hospital just after 7pm this evening, surrounded by family and loved ones who have requested privacy during this sad and difficult time."
The Night of the Incident
The cop who reportedly tasered Nowland faces many charges, including assault and recklessly inflicting serious bodily injury. The allegations against the senior policeman, age 33, were revealed by NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb on Wednesday.
In early July, a court will hear accusations against the cop, BBC reported. While the inquiry is ongoing, he is suspended from duty with pay.
According to CNN, Assistant Commissioner Peter Cotter of the NSW Police Force told reporters last week that they were summoned to Nowland's care facility in the town of Cooma, NSW, at 4:15 AM local time due to claims of a resident with a steak knife.
"At the time she was tasered, she was approaching police. It is fair to say at a slow pace. She had a walking frame. But she had a knife," Cotter told media on Friday, May 19.
BBC said the incident has led to requests for an investigation at the state legislature level and the release of body cam footage from the police officers involved. A total of two police body cameras recorded video of the event, but it has not been made public.
NSW police guidelines state that Tasers should only be used on the elderly or the crippled in "exceptional circumstances."
Family friend Andrew Thaler reported that prior to the event, Nowland was too weak to stand without assistance. She was only 5-foot-2 tall, and her lowest weight was 43 kilograms (95 pounds). She was also suffering from dementia.
After falling and striking her head, Nowland is said to have had a fractured skull and a severe brain hemorrhage.
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Heartfelt Support
Even when charges were filed, Thaler was confused as to why it had taken the police so long to do anything. "Why has it taken so long? Anyone else would have been charged straight away."
This week, Nowland's family published a statement asking for privacy and expressing gratitude for the outpouring of love and support they have received.
According to CNN affiliate 9News, "Clare is the loving and [gentle-natured] matriarch of the Nowland family."
"We stand together. We thank everyone here in Cooma, the wider region and, in fact, the whole country and around the world for the outpouring of support for her and her ongoing battle with dementia - which touches so many," the statement read.
