A staff member of a nursing home said she was threatened by an elderly individual with a knife moments before an officer tasered and killed her.
The woman, who was 95 years old, died on May 17 after being shot by a police officer in the Yallambee Lodge facility in Cooma.
A trial for the police officer, who is charged with manslaughter, is set to begin in NSW Supreme Court. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Crown claims that he neglected his responsibility to care for the great-grandmother, and he caused her death by either recklessness or criminal negligence.
Although he acknowledges that he deployed his weapon, his lawyers argue that it was necessary to protect the woman from a possible threat because she had a knife.
Anna Hofner, a paramedic, said that the woman, who was known as Mrs. Nowland, was not found by the paramedics when they arrived at the facility before 5 am.
She claimed that the 95-year-old woman was still holding a knife when they arrived.
Mrs. Nowland started to move toward the paramedic, but she reportedly became too close for her comfort. According to Ms Hofner, she could have been hit if the woman had tried to attack her with her knife.
Although she initially feared for her life, Ms Hofner noted that she could have still stepped back. She said that, even though police officer Jessica Pank was trying to take the knife, Mrs. Nowland raised it in front of her.
According to Ms Hofner, the woman was motivated by her desire to attack Jess. She said that when she saw the paramedics, she looked at them with a longing to strike out. But, she agreed with the argument presented by the Crown prosecutor, who noted that they were not in danger of being run over by the woman.
She also noted that Mrs. Nowland did not appear to acknowledge the officer’s repeated requests to take down her knife. In footage previously shown in court, the police officer repeatedly asks her to put down her knife.
The officer then activated his Taser after she failed to comply. He told her that she would get tased. The 95-year-old woman continued to move toward the officer, who then fired his weapon.
After the officer tasered the woman, Ms Hofner said she fell backward. Her colleague, who was also a paramedic, said that he heard the taser’s crack as the weapon was being used. After examining the area where the woman fell, Mr Newman noted that there was a burn mark on her body that resembled the arc of the probes.
He also noticed that the woman had a large haematoma on her head, which was unusual since it had developed immediately following the incident. According to one of the paramedics, she also had a facial droop, which indicated that she had a brain bleed. Following the incident, Ms Hofner stated that the police officer should have physically taken the knife away from Mrs Nowland.
As the police officer tasered the woman, Ms Hofner said she fell backward. Her colleague, who was also a paramedic, said that he heard the taser’s crack as the weapon was being used. After examining the area where the woman fell, Mr Newman noted that there was a burn mark on her body that resembled the arc of the probes.
Paramedic Newman noted that the woman had a nearly 5-cm haematoma on the forehead, which was unusual since it occurred immediately following the incident. He also said that she had a facial droop, which could be a sign of a brain bleed. Following the confrontation, Ms Hofner stated that it was necessary for the police officer to physically remove the knife from Nowland.
The jury was told that Mrs. Nowland was carrying two kitchen knives when she entered the nursing home. She also refused to put down the weapons when asked. During the two hours that she was inside the facility, she had entered the rooms of the other residents. A geriatrician said that the 95-year-old woman’s behavior could be caused by her undiagnosed dementia.
On May 17, the jury learned that Mrs Nowland, who was 95 years old at that time, threw a knife at a staff member who was trying to persuade her to leave another resident’s room. Mamta Rai, a nursing assistant, said that she was in the doorway when the woman suddenly stood up and threw a knife at her.
The police, paramedics, and staff members of the nursing home were seen searching for Mrs. Nowland a few minutes before she was tasered by a police officer. Ms Rai said that she felt scared during the incident. She agreed with the statement made by Troy Edwards, the lawyer for the police officer.
Rai, who has been working in nursing homes for several years, said that she had never seen a patient with a knife prior to the incident. The confrontation prompted Rosaline Baker, a nurse, to call the emergency number triple-0. During the call, she said that Nowland was very aggressive.