Stockton siege, Newcastle: shock twist after axe-wielding woman dies after a ... trends now
A mother who died after a nine-hour stand-off was killed when a bean bag round fired by officers pierced her chest and struck her heart, according to an interim post-mortem.
Krista Kach, 47, died in hospital on Thursday night following an incident in which she barricaded herself inside her unit in Stockton, Newcastle, about two hours north of Sydney.
NSW Police were called to the unit at about 12.30pm that day following reports Ms Kach had threatened real estate agents with an axe over a dispute about a barber shop at the bottom of her building.
Ms Kach barricaded herself in her home before specialist tactical officers forced entry into the property at about 9.45pm and used a bean bag round and Taser to arrest her.
Krista Kach, 47, died in hospital on Thursday night following an incident in which she barricaded herself inside her unit in Stockton, Newcastle, about two hours north of Sydney
Ms Kach had livestreamed parts of her nine-hour stand-off with police on Thursday
She was able to walk to an ambulance, which transported her to John Hunter Hospital as her condition deteriorated. She died in hospital later that night.
Bean bag rounds consist of small fabric bags filled with lead pellets. They are fired through a shotgun but are considered to be 'less lethal' munitions designed to briefly immobilise individuals during arrests.
NSW Police Acting Commissioner David Hudson revealed the coroner's interim post-mortem test results indicate Ms Kach had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.
'It would appear that the bean bag round has entered the body of the deceased and ended up striking her heart,' Commissioner Hudson said.
He said bean bag rounds had been used by NSW police 15 times this year, without the 'tragic outcome' that occurred on Thursday.
'The bean bag or supersoft round is used internationally thousands of times per year. It is used by all tactical groups within Australia and on very few occasions we have tragic outcomes as we have seen last Thursday,' he said.
Ms Kach's family have disputed police's version of events, saying they begged for her to receive medical help before she was arrested
'Unfortunately in this case, which happens in a small number of cases, it has proven fatal.
Commissioner Hudson said all uses of bean bag rounds had been stopped in NSW while a review was underway.
He said the makers of the device don't specify a range for use, and safe firing distances would form part of the review.
He said police were also examining how to deal with incidents where the presence of uniformed officers might escalate the situation.
Ms Kach had livestreamed the stand-off for hours where
