A 95-year-old woman who was Tasered by police at an Australian care home, sparking a public outcry, has died. Clare Nowland was critically injured after police responded to reports she was wandering around the home with a steak knife at about 04:00 last Wednesday. New South Wales Police (NSW) said she died “surrounded by family and loved ones”. The officer who Tasered Mrs Nowland has been charged with assault. The 33-year-old senior constable will face court in early July on charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault. He remains suspended from duty … Continue reading Sad: 95-year-old woman Tasered by police in Australia dies

The police officer who Tasered a 95-year-old woman at an Australian care home has been suspended from duty. Clare Nowland was critically injured when police responded to reports she was wandering her care home with a knife around 4am on Wednesday. Amid public outcry, critics have called the response by police and care home staff disproportionate. An investigation into the incident continues, as Ms Nowland receives “end of life care” in hospital. In a statement on Tuesday, New South Wales (NSW) Police said the 33-year-old senior constable who Tasered Ms Nowland has been stood down, with pay. Police say Ms … Continue reading Update: Officer who tasered 95-year old woman suspended

Australian police say they will not release bodycam footage of the moment an elderly woman with dementia was Tasered by an officer. Clare Nowland, 95, is in critical condition after an officer discharged the weapon at a care home in Cooma, New South Wales (NSW), on Wednesday. Police say Ms Nowland had moved towards them “at a slow pace” with a knife. NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she was “not sure” why there were calls for the footage to be released. “I am not sure why they want to see it,” she told reporters at a press conference. “Body-worn … Continue reading Update: Australian police rule out releasing video of 95-year-old’s Tasering

An elderly Australian woman with dementia is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after being Tasered by police at a care home. Officers were called to Yallambee Lodge in Cooma after reports that 95-year-old Clare Nowland was carrying a knife. The early morning incident has sparked outcry, over what advocates say was a disproportionate response. The New South Wales (NSW) police chief has said she shares community concerns, and an investigation is under way. Ms Nowland was found “armed” with a steak knife in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Assistant Police Commissioner Peter Cotter told media on Friday. Both officers … Continue reading Australian police Taser 95-year-old care home resident

Minneapolis has agreed to pay nearly $9m to settle lawsuits filed by two black residents against Derek Chauvin. Both residents, who were arrested in 2017, said Chauvin had pressed his knee into their necks – the same tactic that killed George Floyd three years later. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey apologised to all the victims. He said if supervisors had fired Chauvin six years ago, Floyd would be alive. Minneapolis City Council announced during a meeting that John Pope Jr would receive $7.5m and Zoya Code would get $1.375m. Both lawsuits alleged police misconduct, excessive force and racism by Chauvin and … Continue reading US city of Minneapolis to pay $9m compensation over Derek Chauvin misconduct lawsuits

The US justice department will investigate the death of a Washington DC teenager who was shot by a police officer sitting behind him in a car. Dalaneo Martin, 17, was asleep in a parked, stolen SUV when officers opened the door on 18 March, say police. Bodycam footage shows police stealthily entering the vehicle to make an arrest. The suspect, who was black, speeds away with an officer in the back seat. After telling him to stop, the officer opens fire on the teenager from behind. “The loss of a life is always tragic but is especially heartbreaking when it … Continue reading US teen fatally shot by officer sitting behind him in car

Three Memphis fire department workers have been fired amid an investigation into a motorist’s death that has shocked the US. Officials said two paramedics and a driver who responded to the scene did not provide Mr Nichols adequate care. He was punched, kicked and hit with a baton after being pulled over for an alleged traffic violation. Five policemen have been fired and charged with murder. It emerged on Monday two others have been suspended. Memphis officials said the three sacked fire department workers – Robert Long, JaMichael Sandridge and Lt Michelle Whitaker – had “failed to conduct an adequate … Continue reading Update: Three Memphis fire department staff fired over Tyre Nichols death

President Joe Biden is urging protests in Tennessee to remain peaceful as officials plan to release video of an arrest that led to a motorist’s death. Five Memphis police officers have been fired and are facing murder charges after Tyre Nichols, 29, died three days after a traffic stop on 7 January. Bodycam footage of the encounter is expected to be released on Friday evening local time. Lawyers for the Nichols family said it will show him being severely beaten. “I’m sickened by what I saw,” Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch said on Thursday after reviewing the footage. … Continue reading Update: US President Joe Biden calls for calm over police murder of black man

A cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors died hours after he was repeatedly Tasered and restrained in the street by Los Angeles police. Keenan Anderson, 31, a teacher and father, died at a hospital in Santa Monica. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have released body camera footage of the 3 January encounter. It shows Mr Anderson begging for help as officers hold him down. At one point he can be heard saying, “They’re trying to George Floyd me!” – a reference to the May 2020 murder of a black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by a policeman. A cause … Continue reading Black Lives Matter founder’s cousin dies after police arrest

A teenager is fighting for his life in a Greek hospital after a policeman shot him in the head as he fled a petrol station, allegedly without paying. The officer fired two shots at the 16-year-old Roma boy in the second biggest city Thessaloniki. Protesters took to the streets on Monday, throwing petrol bombs at police. The shooting has highlighted the recurrent issue of police violence in Greek cities. Last year an 18-year-old Roma man called Nikos Sampanis was fatally shot in a car chase near Athens and on 6 December 2008 a 15-year-old boy was shot dead in the … Continue reading Greek Roma boy shot by police prompts outrage in Greece

Five police officers in the US state of Connecticut have been charged after a man they arrested was partially paralysed in the back of a police van. Randy Cox was being driven to a police station in New Haven when the driver braked hard, causing him to be flung headfirst against the van’s rear doors. He was being held on 19 June on gun charges that were later dropped. Civil rights advocates compared the 36-year-old’s ordeal with the case of another black man in Baltimore in 2015. Freddie Gray died after suffering a spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in … Continue reading Officers charged after Randy Cox was left paralysed in van

A police officer has quit after he accidentally recorded himself hurling ‘appalling’ racist abuse at a black person on TV. PC James Ennis sent the voice note to another police officer on WhatsApp who raised the alarm. Merseyside Police’s standards department launched misconduct proceedings, but Ennis quit before he appeared in front of a disciplinary panel. The proceedings went ahead, however, and concluded he would have been sacked for gross misconduct had he remained in the police. He has now been placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing him from holding any policing job in the UK. A … Continue reading Police officer accidentally recorded racist rant when he saw black person on TV