Abdirahman Abdi, a Somali immigrant described as a gentle man with a mental illness, has died following a bloody altercation with Ottawa Police.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is probing Abdi’s arrest on Sunday, which is leading to accusations of police brutality and anti-black racism.
Witnesses said several police officers were involved in the arrest and that they used batons to subdue Abdi in front of the non-profit building where he lives.
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Ottawa lawyer Michael Spratt, who has handled cases involving excessive police force but isn’t directly involved with Abdirahman’s case, says he’s concerned about some of the early reports on the arrest.
“There are often times injuries incurred trying to arrest someone in a dynamic situation, but the reports of gratuitous violence after handcuffs were placed on the individual [are] shocking and there can be no excuse for violence after the person is handcuffed and on the ground,” Spratt said in an interview with CTV News.
“The lack of immediate medical attention and the reports about the delays between when first aid was administered and when paramedics arrived is troubling as well. When a subject is detained and handcuffed and has been beaten into unconsciousness, there can be no reasonable reason why medical attention should be delayed.”
Read the full article: CTV NEWS
