A coroner’s inquest into the death of an Ottawa man after his violent arrest is expected to hear final submissions from lawyers today after hearing testimony from experts and several key witnesses in the case.
Thirty-eight-year-old Abdirahman Abdi died in July 2016 after police responded to a 911 call reporting that a man was groping women outside a coffee shop in Ottawa’s Hintonburg neighbourhood.
The inquest has heard that Abdi appeared to be in a mental health crisis at the time.
An Ontario judge found a police officer not guilty of several charges in October 2020, ruling that the prosecution hadn’t proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the blows Abdi suffered during the arrest resulted in his death.
The inquest, which is mandatory under the law because Abdi was injured while in police custody, has heard from two police officers involved in the arrest, Ottawa police Deputy Chief Steven Bell and experts on police use of force, among others.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Coroner says jury deliberations on recommendations to avoid similar deaths in the future are expected to begin tomorrow.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024.
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