Hiiraan Online
Friday, July 29, 2016
Ottawa (HOL) – A funeral will be held today for Abdirahman Abdi, a 37 year old with mental health issues who died after a violent confrontation with two Ottawa police officers.
The officers, who are now being investigated by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the independent civilian oversight agency responsible for investigating incidents involving Ontario police departments that result in death, sexual assault or injury, have been identified as constables Dave Weir and Daniel Montsion.
The Janazah prayer will be today, Friday, July 29th at 12:30 pm at the Ottawa Muslim Association located at 251 Northwestern Ave.
The Ottawa Muslim Association (OMA) announced that it would cover the funeral costs for Abdirahman Abdi
Naeem Malik, president of OMA, said that the funds will come from a special fund donated by members to cover unexpected funeral costs and it usually costs around $3,500.
“We’re a charitable organization and whenever we have a case where the family doesn’t have the money … we take money out of our account to cover the cost.”
A spokesperson for the family said representatives from all three levels of government are expected to be in attendance.
There is growing calls for an investigation into whether racial profiling and increasingly frequent heavy-handed police tactics played a role in the death.
The Ottawa police agreed to settle a human-rights complaint alleging racism in 2013 by collecting race-based statistics on its interactions with the public for two years. The findings of that report that is due to be released shortly.
Earlier this week, hundreds attended a memorial at Somerset Park to remember Abdirahman Abdi. The community is expecting a similar show of support at today’s funeral.