Friends of the man have talked to media in Ottawa and identified the man as Abdirahman Abdi. It said Monday a 37-year-old man arrested in Ottawa on the weekend had died. Neighbours described him as having an unspecified mental illness.
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Police were called to a coffee shop in downtown Ottawa after customers claimed there was a man inappropriately groping strangers.
Investigators say the man was taken to hospital with several fractures.
No police officers were injured.
“I heard the screaming, and then I come out and I see my brother lying down, police hitting so badly”.
A Canadian Muslim advocacy group is calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into the death of an Ottawa man who was involved in a confrontation with police.
Ali, who lives in the same building as Abdi and his family, said doctors told the family that Abdi was dead 45 minutes before receiving medical attention Sunday.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating Abdi’s death.
The SIU invokes their mandate when there is an incident between civilians and police that result in death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. It has assigned five investigators and one forensic investigator to the case.
“I can not express fully my grief”, the councillor said in the statement.
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Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating a crash involving a police cruiser and a bicycle in Toronto.
