He died after a violent altercation with Ottawa police. 10 years later there are still calls for change
Ten years after the death of Abdirahman Abdi during an altercation with Ottawa police, advocates continue to push for systemic changes in mental health crisis responses. A 2024 coroner's inquest officially ruled the death a homicide and recommended significant reforms to police procedures.
Why it matters
The case remains a focal point for discussions regarding systemic racism, police accountability, and the need for specialized mental health crisis intervention.
"There's still a lot more we need to do systemically to be able to say we have really achieved a lot after the death of Mr. Abdirahman Abdi," said Sahada Alolo of the Ottawa Guiding Council for Mental Health and Addictions, which formed in 2021 to help craft a new, more culturally appropriate and trauma-informed crisis response system in the capital.
Abdi was a 38-year-old Somali Canadian whose mental health unraveled in the six months leading to his arrest.
He was pronounced dead on July 25, 2016, the day after he was punched in the head during a struggle with police in front of his Hintonburg apartment building.
10 years after Abdirahman Abdi’s death, advocates are still calling for change
One of the arresting officers was found not guilty of manslaughter in 2020, while Abdi's family and police settled a lawsuit later that year.
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