An Australian woman with dementia who was Tasered by cops at a care home is in the hospital with injuries that could kill her.
Officers were sent to Yallambee Lodge in Cooma, New South Wales (NSW), after it was said that 95-year-old Clare Nowland was carrying a knife.
People are upset about what they say was an unfair reaction to the early morning incident. The police head of New South Wales said that an investigation is underway.
Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Cotter told the media on Friday that Ms. Nowland was found “armed” with a steak knife at the care home in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The home is in the town of Cooma, which is about 114 km (71 miles) south of Canberra.
Two cops and staff from the care home tried to calm the situation down, but it got worse when she slowly walked towards them, so they Tasered her.
“She walked with a cane. He said, “But she had a knife.”
Andrew Thaler, who is close to the family, said that Ms. Nowland was hit twice, once in the chest and once in the back, before she fell and got a broken skull and a major brain bleed.
He told BBC News that her family is already sad because they don’t think she will live.
“The family is shocked, confused, and angry, and so is the rest of the community.”
“How is this possible? How can this much force be explained? It’s crazy.”
Mr. Thaler said that Ms. Nowland “does a lot for her community and church and is very well liked by a lot of people.”
In 2008, she skydived over Canberra on TV to celebrate her 80th birthday.
Community groups, like the NSW Council for Civil Liberties and People with Disability Australia (PwD), have criticised the police reaction.
Nicole Lee, president of People with Disabilities (PwD), told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that either the 95-year-old woman is very agile, fit, fast, and scary, or the police officers had very bad taste.
“She needed someone to treat her with kindness and patience, not with Tasers.”
The NSW Police have opened an investigation into a critical event, which Commissioner Karen Webb says is being taken “very seriously.”
“I understand and share the community’s concerns,” she said.
The cop in question, who is said to have 12 years of experience, has not been suspended but has been taken off active duty.
As part of the probe, which will include the homicide squad, he will be talked to.
Mr. Cotter said, “No officer, not even me, is above the law.”
“All of our actions will also be closely looked at from a criminal point of view.”
The Snowy Monaro Regional Council, which is in charge of the care home, has defended its answer. Jeff Morgan, the council’s chief operating officer, told local media that the staff followed the rules and did what had to be done in the situation.
The website for Yallambee Lodge says that it started in 1995 and helps people with “higher needs.”
The ABC said that Ms. Nowland has been living in the house for more than five years.