Paramedic says he was not informed of blows to Abdirahman Abdi’s head

After an emergency doctor on Monday, a second witness claims not to have been informed by the police of the punches which were delivered to the head of Abdirahman Abdi during his violent arrest on July 24, 2016.

We were told he was pepper sprayed and one of the two officers beat him in the legs with a batonthe paramedic repeated a few times Alexander Bainwho was the ninth witness in this investigation aimed at shedding light on the death of the 38-year-old man.

The paramedic’s testimony supported that of Dr Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, the emergency doctor who treated Mr Abdi. The emergency doctor claimed on Monday that he had been informed of the punches received by his patient through members of Mr. Abdi’s family who were present at the hospital.

Paramedic since 2008, Alexander Bain arrived on site a few minutes after Mr. Abdi was handcuffed by the police Dave Weir et Daniel Montsion following a foot chase and a fight with the suspect, who ultimately died the next day.

First police officer to intervene, Dave Weir is the one who chased the suspect through the streets of Ottawa, pepper spraying him before beating him with a baton. Equipped with gloves reinforced at the joints, Daniel Montsion arrived subsequently, punching the Canadian of Somali origin several times.

Alexander Bain recalls finding Mr. Abdi without a pulse. His eyes were fixes et did not blink. The paramedic said he asked the officer Montsionwho was kneeling on the suspect, to remove his handcuffs and begin resuscitation maneuvers.

On July 24, 2016, a handful of citizens called 911 to denounce the erratic behavior of Mr. Abdi, who allegedly touched several women in a cafe.

Charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, Daniel Montsion was found not guilty in 2020 after a widely publicized trial where it was possible to learn that Abdirahman Abdi was unknowingly suffering from “serious” blockages in his heart, according to a pathologist’s report.

M. Montsionwho did not testify at his trial, was heard for the first time at the coroner’s inquest last week. He gave a calm and very factual testimony, having only a slight disagreement with a lawyer, Maria Stevenswho works on behalf of the public inquiry.

Mme Stevens had asked the police officer on Friday if he had told the paramedics that he had hit Mr. Abdi in the head. He immediately responded in the affirmative, which seemed to surprise the lawyer: I am going to suggest to you that the information that Mr. Abdi was hit in the head is not something you relayed to the paramedics.

L’agent Montsionwho now works as an investigator for the Guns and Gangs Unit, responded: I would tell you that it is false.

A chaotic scene

The arrest on July 24, 2016, which took place in front of the door of the apartment building where the suspect lived, attracted the attention of members of Mr. Abdi’s family, who quickly converged on the vestibule of the building, and many citizens who observed the scene from the street or from their balconies.

It was a really chaotic scene. There were a lot of people. A man was very close to me. I asked him to move and he didn’t. It didn’t stop me from doing my job, but it was a distractionexplained the paramedic in his testimony.

I remember people shouting at the police that they had killed Mr. Abdihe added.

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In cross-examination, Alexander Bain answered questions from around ten lawyers or representatives of around ten groups participating in the investigation, as do all the witnesses.

At the very beginning, he responded to questions from a lawyer for the deceased’s family, Jadden Howellto whom he supported that upon arriving [sur place]I saw the police holding the door [pour empêcher la famille de sortir].

The lawyer then asked him if he had seen the police offer medical aid to Mr. Abdi, to which the paramedic, who had also testified at Mr. Abdi’s trial. Montsionreplied: non.

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Subsequently, the lawyer for the two police officers, Vanessa Garcia, and that of the Ottawa Police Service, Katrina Bekkersasked several questions, emphasizing the chaotic scene, which could have caused the paramedic Alexander Bain did not see or hear everything that took place on that day of July 24, 2016.

The coroner’s inquest, which began on November 18, must hear around ten witnesses until December 16. At the end of this, a jury made up of five people will have to make recommendations to prevent such an event from happening again.

With information from Guy Quenneville, CBC News