PHOTO: The incident unfolded in Stockton, near Newcastle
The neighbor of a mother who tragically passed away after being Tasered by the police has provided a detailed account of the violent and ultimately fatal nine-hour standoff. It all began when she allegedly threatened real estate agents with an axe.
The incident unfolded in Stockton, near Newcastle, with NSW Police receiving a call around 12:30 pm on Thursday reporting that the 47-year-old woman, who lived in an apartment, had menaced people with an axe.
Upon the officers’ arrival, the woman reportedly confronted them and then barricaded herself inside her residence. At approximately 9:45 pm, specialized tactical officers forcibly entered the property and used both a bean bag round and a Taser to apprehend her.
Neighbour Michael Cuneo claims the woman threatened real estate agents after she was served a 14-day eviction notice (pictured, a tactical officer at the scene)
Subsequently, she was taken to John Hunter Hospital, where she sadly passed away. Michael Cuneo, a resident living adjacent to the units, shared with Daily Mail Australia that the woman had been engaged in a dispute with her landlord concerning a barber shop located beneath her building.
“She had been displaying unusual behavior for about a week, complaining about the barber shop’s clients,” he recounted. “Yesterday, the barber shop owner went to take out the bins, as it was bin night, but she screamed at him and ordered him to leave the yard. She insisted that the entire back of the property was hers and off-limits to others.”
Mr. Cuneo explained that the unit owner decided to issue the woman a 14-day eviction notice to avoid future conflicts and called the police to witness the situation.
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“The real estate agents arrived around 11 am and waited in front of my house for the police to arrive so they could serve her the notice in person,” he stated. “The agents, along with two officers, approached to deliver the notice but were met at the fence by the woman, who was wielding an axe. She swung the axe at the fence, attempting to strike them, prompting them to call for additional police assistance.”
He alleges that the police made a second attempt to approach the property shortly after noon but were met by the woman, who threw a large rock and the axe at them.
Following this, the police engaged in negotiations with the woman before deciding to enter her unit shortly before 10 pm, with one entry point being through Mr. Cuneo’s backyard.
He recalled hearing what he believed to be bean bag rounds during the operation, describing the entire confrontation as surreal and mentioning, “I’ve never had armed individuals in my yard before.”
Neighbours reportedly heard ‘five super loud pops’ they assume were police stun grenades (pictured, officers at the scene)
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna reported that the woman sustained injuries during the confrontation but managed to walk to an ambulance. Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated shortly afterward, and she passed away later that evening. An autopsy will determine the cause of her death in the coming days.
Commissioner McKenna mentioned that the woman had no significant history with the police, with only a minor incident from many years ago on record. He did not comment on whether she had experienced a mental health episode.
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The unit has been designated as a crime scene, and the Homicide Squad is conducting an investigation into the incident. Additionally, an independent critical investigation of the NSW Police operation is currently underway, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
This unfortunate incident follows the tasering of Clare Nowland, a 95-year-old dementia patient, by Senior Constable Kristian White in her Cooma nursing home on the morning of May 17, resulting in her hitting her head and passing away seven days later.
SOURCE: THE DAILY MAIL