OAN’s Noah Herring
3:12 PM – Wednesday, May 24, 2023
A 95-year-old Australian woman has died a week after she was shot by Australian police with a stun gun in a nursing home.
Clare Nowland, who had suffered from dementia, was declared dead on Wednesday after a week of being hospitalized with a fractured skull. Constable Kristian White was the officer who had shocked her with the stun gun, causing her to fall.
Nowland’s death was announced hours after White was ordered to appear in court where he is facing charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault with charges likely to be upgraded following her death.
White and another officer were called to Yallambee Lodge, a nursing home that specializes in residents with more intensive care needs like dementia, after staff reported that Nowland had stolen a serrated steak knife from the kitchen. White then shot her with the stun gun as she approached using a walker and carrying the knife.
The incident against the elderly woman sparked national debate about the use of stun guns in certain circumstances, as well as the competence of the care staff and officers.
Police say that her injuries resulted from her fall on the floor, not the electric charge, although a coroner will determine the cause of death.
Since the incident, White has been under investigation and has been suspended from duty with pay since Tuesday. Police have declined to release body cam footage.
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