The jury at a coroner’s inquest has deemed the 2016 death of an Ottawa man after his violent arrest a homicide, as it makes more than 50 recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.
Inquest jurors are required to make a finding on the cause of death, but that carries no legal liability.
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.
The inquest heard that Mr. Abdi appeared to be in a mental-health crisis at the time.
After hearing several weeks of testimony from experts and key witnesses – including a police officer who was acquitted of criminal charges in the case – the inquest jury has come back with numerous recommendations for the Ottawa police force, its board and other authorities.
Those recommendations include reviewing and improving police training and de-escalation strategies, as well as addressing anti-Black racism and biases toward people with mental-health issues.