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A mother who died after being hit with a beanbag and a Taser by police had live-streamed her confrontation with officers for hours before they broke into her home.
Krista Kach, 47, died in hospital on Thursday evening following an incident in which she barricaded herself in her unit in Stockton, Newcastle, about two hours north of Sydney.
NSW Police were called to the scene around 12.30pm that day following reports that Ms Kach had threatened real estate agents with an ax following a dispute over a hair salon located at the bottom of his building.
Ms Kach barricaded herself in her home before specialist tactical officers forced entry into the property at around 9.45pm and used a beanbag and a Taser to arrest her.
Krista Kach, 47, died in hospital on Thursday evening following an incident in which she barricaded herself in her unit in Stockton, Newcastle, about two hours north of Sydney.
On Thursday, Ms. Kach live-streamed part of her nine-hour standoff with police.
She was then transported to John Hunter Hospital, where she died.
Ms. Kach livestreamed the confrontation for hours, during which she discussed topics such as sovereign citizens, fraud and espionage.
Although she seemed mostly calm, Ms. Kach became visibly upset when the police outside her door attempted to negotiate.
Ms Kach’s family disputed the police version, saying they had begged her for medical help before her arrest.
“You’re trespassing, you’re illegal,” she shouted during the live broadcast, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“They are terrorists. It’s terrorism. I try to sit on the porch when you’re not invited. What are you going to collect from illegal tax revenue? They don’t give any reason why they are here… I didn’t do anything.
“I was safe before they came.”
It is unclear who was viewing the images.
Greens MP and justice spokesperson Sue Higginson has called for a parliamentary inquiry into NSW police after obtaining four hours of footage of Ms Kach’s livestream leading up to the arrest .
She said the footage showed Ms Kach frightened, alone, unarmed and struggling with a mental health problem while police in riot gear “flyed over” the veranda outside her window.
“Krista was lying on her bed watching a children’s film for at least an hour before the police burst into her home,” Ms Higginson said.
“You must be wondering what the purpose of the police operation was?
“The police are not equipped to deal with such situations. This is why we continue to see vulnerable people killed by police.
Woman, 47, dies following nine-hour standoff with police (pictured, tactical officers entering property)
Ms. Kach’s family disputed the police version, saying she had begged for medical help before her arrest.
Her family said Ms. Kach was stressed because she had been told that day that she would be kicked out of her home.
It appears she had a dispute with her landlord over the hair salon, resulting in her being given a 14-day eviction notice.
“We told the police in no uncertain terms that she was not well that day and needed medical help,” the family said in a statement.
“We were assured that the police would take care of our mother and that she would be treated by a hospital and qualified medical professionals.
“What happened on Thursday was a worrying and heartbreaking response from the police to a vulnerable person who had been told they would soon be homeless.”
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said the woman was injured during the confrontation but was able to walk to an ambulance.
“Shortly after, his condition deteriorated. She was taken to John Hunter Hospital and sadly died later that evening.
An autopsy will confirm the woman’s cause of death.
Commissioner McKenna said she had no “significant” history with police, with only a “minor matter dating back several years” recorded.
He did not say whether she had suffered a mental health episode.
The unit was declared a crime scene and officers from the Homicide Squad investigated the incident.
A critical independent investigation into the NSW Police operation is underway.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
The 47-year-old Stockton woman’s death follows the Tasing attack on her great-grandmother Clare Nowland.
NSW Police were called to a unit in Stockton following reports of a woman threatening people with an ax (pictured, officers at scene)