A police officer in Australia has been charged with manslaughter after tasering a 95-year-old lady with dementia in a nursing home.
Clare Nowland, a great-grandmother, died a week after being tasered at her house in May.
Police were called to the facility in Cooma, New South Wales when care staff claimed that one of the residents was armed with a knife.
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Kristian White, a 33-year-old senior constable, is accused of tasering Nowland at her house after requesting her to drop a steak knife she was holding.
Nowland, who was using a cane, tripped and banged her head, breaking her skull.
White, who has now been suspended with pay from his position, was initially charged with various offenses, including assault and willfully causing severe bodily harm.
According to a statement released by New South Wales Police on Wednesday, "Following advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad have today laid an additional charge of Manslaughter against a 33-year-old Senior Constable attached to the Monaro Police District."
When nursing home workers tried to convince Nowland to hand over the knives she was holding, she flung one at them.
According to court documents reported by the broadcaster, when White and another officer found her, she was in a room clutching one of the blades.
The other cop attempted to take the knife, but Nowland is reported to have maneuvered her walker toward them.
White allegedly then drew and deployed his taser, telling the victim, "Clare, stop now, see this, this is a taser, drop it now, drop it, this is your first warning."
According to the court filings, she then raised the hand containing the knife to chest height, and he attacked her with the taser in the chest area, forcing her to fall and strike her head while still holding her walker.
Before the event, according to family friend Andrew Thaler, Nowland was fragile and unable to stand unassisted.
She weighed only 43 kilograms and stood 1.58 meters tall, and she had dementia.
White, scheduled to appear in court on December 6, remains on paid leave and has yet to plea.
