A decade after Abdirahman Abdi's death, Ottawa police say more training is underway
Ten years after Abdirahman Abdi died following a violent arrest, an inquest jury made 57 recommendations. Only 50 officers have received crisis intervention training so far.
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Ten years ago Saturday, July 23, 2016, 38-year-old Abdirahman Abdi died in an Ottawa hospital after a violent arrest by Ottawa Police Service officers the day before. His death sparked years of outrage and grief across Somali, Black, and Muslim communities in Ottawa and beyond, raising urgent questions about race, policing, and how officers respond to mental-health crises.
The inquest into his death took eight years to materialize. On March 15, 2024, the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General announced an inquest aimed at preventing similar deaths. The jury released 57 recommendations in December 2024—28 of them directed specifically to the Ottawa Police Service.
Lawrence Greenspon, the Abdi family lawyer, said there have been "lots of good intentions expressed" but remains skeptical about real implementation. "Changes were supposed to happen. I don't know to what extent they have happened," Greenspon said. "Abdi, unfortunately, is not the first, and, unfortunately, he won't be the last person to have died at the hands of the police largely because of their inability to de-escalate the situation."
Since 2016, Ottawa Police has taken steps. The Mental Health Crisis Unit has trained 50 officers in two separate Crisis Intervention Team courses. The unit currently has 11 officers total. Sgt. Chabine Tucker acknowledged the scale of the challenge: "In an ideal world, every officer's trained on different ways to de-escalate and different ways to recognize symptoms and signs. I think there's a lot of work to be done in regards to the education around mental health." More training is underway this year.
OPS created the Mental Health C.H.A.N.G.E. initiative in response to the jury's 28 recommendations. The service has also expanded partnerships with The Ottawa Hospital's Mobile Crisis Response Team and established a second team with The Royal's Urgent Care Clinic and a Youth Crisis Response Team with the Youth Services Bureau, CHEO, and Kids Come First.
Abdi's family and the Somali community are still grieving. Greenspon said the passage of time does not bring closure. "People think once those things happen there's some kind of closure, but there isn't," he said. "If you ever know anybody or if you have lost anybody in your family, there is never closure. It's with you … forever."
How many of the 28 inquest recommendations directed at OPS have been fully implemented?
How long will it take to train every OPS officer in crisis de-escalation techniques?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
When did Abdirahman Abdi die?
Abdirahman Abdi died on July 23, 2016, at an Ottawa hospital following a violent arrest by Ottawa Police Service officers the day before.
How many recommendations did the inquest jury make?
The inquest jury released 57 recommendations in December 2024, with 28 of them directed specifically to the Ottawa Police Service.
How many Ottawa police officers have received crisis intervention training?
The Ottawa Police Service's Mental Health Crisis Unit has trained 50 officers in two separate Crisis Intervention Team courses since 2016.
What new partnerships has Ottawa Police established for mental health response?
Ottawa Police has expanded partnerships with The Ottawa Hospital's Mobile Crisis Response Team, established a second team with The Royal's Urgent Care Clinic, and created a Youth Crisis Response Team with the Youth Services Bureau, CHEO, and Kids Come First.
