Muslim association to cover funeral costs of Ottawa man Abdirahman Abdi

By News Staff

The Ottawa Muslim Association will cover the funeral costs for Abdirahman Abdi, who died after a confrontation with police.

Abdi’s family, who had opened a GoFundMe page to cover funeral costs, said they would now be fundraising to cover their legal bills.

Police were responding to multiple 911 calls on Sunday regarding “multiple assaults” at a local business, confirmed by other sources to be a cafe. After trying to make an arrest, officers chased Abdi on foot.

Abdi, who is Somali-Canadian, was taken down by police officers and later rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims is calling for a swift and open investigation into whether racism played a role in his death. The province’s Special Investigations Unit has been called in.

Ottawa Police Association president Matt Skof says it’s inappropriate to imply race played a role in the incident involving the 37-year-old man. He says that officers were responding to an assault-related call from the public, which is their job.

With files from The Canadian Press


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Ottawa man dies after confrontation with police, SIU investigating


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