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Family of Newcastle woman Tasered by police call authorities' actions 'disturbing
| 18.09,23. 12:43 PM |
Family of Newcastle woman Tasered by police call authorities' actions 'disturbing
The family of a Newcastle woman who died after she was Tasered by police following a nine-hour siege has called law enforcement's actions "disturbing".
Police were called to a block of units in Stockton on Thursday, September 14 after reports Krista Kach was allegedly threatening a real estate agent with an axe after she had been served an eviction notice.
The 47-year-old allegedly also threatened officers with the axe and barricaded herself inside a unit.
After a nearly nine-hour stand-off, police entered the unit and deployed a single bean bag round and a Taser during the arrest.
The woman suffered an injury to her shoulder but was able to walk to an ambulance before her condition deteriorated and she later died in hospital.
Kach's family has said police were informed that she needed medical help on the day of the incident and that she wasn't a "dangerous person", questioning the need for the tactical response.
"We were assured that the police would look after our mother and that she would be cared for by a hospital and qualified medical professionals," the family said in a statement.
"Our mother was not a dangerous person, she has lived through difficult circumstances but she was a loving and capable person that cared for people and her family.
"The only person in danger when the police broke into our mother's home and the many hours leading up to that moment was our mother."
Her family called the incident a "disturbing and heartbreaking" response by police after Kach had just found out she would soon be homeless.
"We hope there will be a thorough independent investigation into how things have gone so dreadfully wrong," the family added.
9news.com.au has reached out to NSW Police for comment.
The family said Kach was a strong independent woman who cared deeply about her loved ones and community.
"She had experienced some mental distress in her life because her life was quite tough, but she was well connected with her own health and her family were advocating for her wellbeing with the police prior to the shooting incident," the family said.
A critical incident investigation team is independently examining all circumstances around the incident.
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