Investigation into Abdirahman Abdi’s death exposes lack of police mental health | Coroner’s inquest into the death of Abdirahman Abdi

Created in 2000, the Ottawa Police Mental Health Unit had five members. Nearly 25 years later, this figure is the same, despite the high proportion of use of force incidents involving people in crisis situations.

The sergeant Dodd Tappwho heads this unit, was the 16th witness called to the stand at the coroner’s inquest into the death of Abdirahman Abdi, a Canadian of Somali origin who died on July 25, 2016 the day after a brutal arrest in Ottawa.

The short answer? Not enoughlaunched the sergeant Tapp when asked about the number of agents he employs daily. He described his unit as minimum size.

On Monday, I have two agents, three on Tuesday, four on Wednesday, three on Thursday, two on Friday and one on the weekendsubsequently clarified the one who joined the ranks of this unit in the fall of 2020.

Under cross-examination, the lawyer for Mr. Abdi’s family, Lawrence Greensponpraised him for his work despite the obvious lack of resources at his disposal.

In my opinion, your unit was not contacted because you were not sufficientlyhe suggested about July 24, 2016, when the Mental Health Unit was not deployed, even though some citizens who called 911 had indicated that Mr. Abdi seemed to be in the middle of a mental health crisis. .

I understand that you don’t want to spit in the hand that feeds you, but that hand hasn’t been feeding you enough for a long time.

Obviously faced with a delicate question, Dodd Tapp did not contradict Mr. Greensponwho is one of the best known criminal lawyers in Ottawa. The sergeant, who has been with the Ottawa Police Service for 27 years, simply replied: we do what we have to do.

The sergeant Dodd Tapp mentioned that the unit he leads could gain importance very quickly. By the end of 2025, there could be seven agents, three more than currently.

A sum has been set aside for the training of 18 other front-line officers in the event of a crisis. It is also planned that a team specializedincluding a police officer and a social worker, is set up.

We would like to have three duos like that. It’s not much, but it’s a starthe said.

What the Mental Health Unit does

The Ottawa Police Mental Health Unit responds to calls regarding people in crisis, in addition to collaborating with mental health professionals from the Ottawa Hospital on some calls.

These agents must also carry out checks on the people involved during their previous interventions. This follow-up is done over the phone, said the sergeant.

If a call turns out to be both a mental health case in addition to a call where a crime appears to have been committed, patrol officers are the ones who are dispatched first. Then the Mental Health Unit can support.

Even though a crime may have been committed, if the person is a danger to themselves, we want to give them mental health care as quickly as possibleassured the sergeant.

The latter stressed that his agents also provide training to their colleagues on de-escalation tactics.

In Abdirahman Abdi’s case, the coroner’s inquest learned more about the ups and downs of his mental health in the six months before his death. The 38-year-old man had also spoken with the Mental Health Unit a month before his death.

He presented himself, on June 24, 2016, at the police station located on the street Elgin with confused speech. The Unit managed to contact a member of his family.

The two police officers who intervened on the fateful day, Dave Weir and Daniel Montsion, testified during the first week of this public inquiry. In turn, they indicated that de-escalation was impossible the day of the brutal arrest.

Only five minutes passed between the time the officer Weir attempted to handcuff Mr. Abdi, the foot chase that followed, and the arrival of Officer Montsion to handcuff him.

The police intervention lasted approximately 5 minutes. The agent Weir attempted the first time to handcuff Mr. Abdi. His colleague Daniel Montsion arrived as reinforcement to arrest him after a heated confrontation. Equipped with reinforced gloves, Officer Montsion punched the suspect several times.

After a long, high-profile trial, police officer Daniel Montsion was found not guilty in 2020. In court, it was possible to learn that Abdirahman Abdi was unknowingly suffering from “serious” blockages in his heart, according to a report from a pathologist, which put him at risk of cardiac arrest at any time.

With information from Guy Quenneville, CBC News