The first day of the investigation focuses on Abdirahman Abdi's past life and issues with mental health care in Canada

The Abdirahman Abdi The research will be streamed live during the day here.

The first day of a coroner's inquest into the death of a Black man who died in 2016 after a violent altercation with Ottawa police began Monday with a rare glimpse into his life before he came to Ottawa, and his mental health struggles while he arrived in town. .

The opening moments of the inquest also set out what participants expect from a weeks-long trial that sometimes delves into uncomfortable and controversial issues.

On July 25, 2016, Abdirahman Abdi, a 38-year-old Somali-Canadian, was pronounced dead a day after he was arrested during a physical altercation that took place in front of his apartment building in Hintonburg.

Abdi's death sparked outrage in Ottawa and beyond, raising questions about police use of force and their handling of black men and calls for mental health care.

One of the arresting officers was found not guilty of manslaughter in 2020. Abdi's family and police settled a lawsuit later that year. The inquest, which is taking place entirely virtually, is mandatory because Abdi died in police custody.

In addition to revisiting Abdi's interactions with police that morning, the inquest will widen the opening to focus on a broader range of issues included:

• The way officers treated Abdi after he was handcuffed and before paramedics arrived.
• His care among paramedics and hospital staff.
• Police training and policies on use of force, including management of “apparently unconscious persons”, equipment, dealing with people in crisis and management of 911 calls involving mental health.
• “Intercultural competence” and anti-black racism.

The inquest will also provide details of Abdi's personal and medical history, including his fluctuating mental health status in the days before his death.

Lawrence Greenspon, the lawyer for Abdi's family, said the main driver for the lawsuit settlement was an agreement for Ottawa police to implement a new mental health response strategy.

The family is disappointed “in the lack of progress made” but hopes “positive change” will come from the inquest, he added.

'He was always enthusiastic about life'

Alessandra Hollands, one of the lawyers handling the investigation, began by saying it is important to understand the circumstances of Abdi's life when investigating his death.

The inquest is important to Ottawa and the province, she said, “because the process of investigating Mr. Abdi's death makes our community safer, especially for individuals living with mental health issues and who are Black and racialized. [and] come into contact with the police.”

Born in Somalia, Abdi was one of seven siblings and lived with his close-knit family all his life. This is evident from a statement from Greenspon.

Abdi lived part of his life in a refugee camp in Kenya, where he provided translation services because he spoke good English, and later studied agriculture at a university in Ethiopia.

“He was always enthusiastic about life and connected with everyone he met,” the statement said.

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The family moved to Canada in 2009 and Abdi returned to Ethiopia to get married in 2015. But when he returned to Ottawa that year, Abdi became quiet and withdrawn and developed mental health problems.

In the months that followed, Abdi was treated both in hospital and at an outpatient clinic, according to a brief overview by Hollands.

“He had periods of improvement and more difficult periods,” she said, adding that he was prescribed medication but did not always take it.

In July 2016, the same month Abdi died, one of his doctors discovered that Abdi showed signs of a “schizophrenia spectrum illness.” Both that doctor and another psychiatrist who treated Abdi are expected to testify at the inquest.

Abdi's family stayed by his side and was never the same after his “tragic and unnecessary death,” Greenspon said. Abdi's daughter was born seven months later, Greenspon added.

From whom the inquest will hear nothing

The two Ottawa police officers involved in the violent altercation with Abdi responded to calls that Abdi had groped, touched or grabbed women in and around a Hintonburg coffee shop that morning.

The women are not testifying at the inquest and their names are being withheld to prevent them from reliving that experience, Hollands said, adding that Ottawa police investigated these incidents and the information they gathered will be included in the inquest research is used.

Abdi was told by a manager that morning that his interaction with a female employee the day before had made her feel uncomfortable.

Darren Courtney, who saw some of the aftermath outside the coffee shop, was the first witness called on Monday. Courtney is a psychiatrist from Toronto who visited Ottawa and saw Abdi pushing against a woman near the coffee shop.

He spoke quietly to Abdi in an attempt to buy time until police arrived, which Courtney saw as a necessary intervention given Abdi's instability, he told the inquest.

The 911 operator did not ask Courtney if Abdi was showing signs of mental illness, nor did Courtney relay such concerns to the first officer dealing with Abdi.

“There's a lot going on, as you said, and the priority right now is to get Mr. Abdi arrested and make sure everyone is safe. Is that fair?' asked an Ottawa police lawyer.

“Yes,” Courtney replied.

As the trial revealed, Abdi ran from the first officer and then became involved in the struggle with police in front of his apartment building.

Acquitted official on witness list

Const. Daniel Montsion, the officer acquitted of manslaughter, did not testify at his trial but is expected to tell his story at the inquest.

Coroner's inquests are not legal processes, but rather fact-finding missions designed to classify the nature of a person's death, asking jurors to make non-binding recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.

“Just because no one is blamed in investigations doesn't mean there is no blame. Of course that may be the case,” said David Eden, the chairman. “It's simply an issue that you, the inquest jury, don't rule on.”

Eden added: “We will be dealing with a number of complex and controversial issues.”

The five jurors must declare Abdi's cause of death to be natural causes, accident, homicide, suicide or undetermined, which Eden said would require “more analysis” than the simpler questions of when and where Abdi died.

Eleven groups stand at the inquest and can ask any witness questions.

Those parties include the Abdi family, Ottawa police, Montsion and the other officer who arrested Abdi, the police oversight board, and advocates for people struggling with mental health or who have been involved in police incidents.

The inquest is expected to hear from 27 witnesses and take place until December 16.