Crown won't appeal not guilty decision in Const. Daniel Montsion trial
CBC News | Posted: November 20, 2020 6:33 PM | Last Updated: November 20, 2020
Ottawa police officer found not guilty in October for 2016 death of Abdirahman Abdi
The Crown will not appeal a judge's decision that Ottawa police Const. Daniel Montsion was not guilty in the 2016 death of Abdirahman Abdi.
Abdi, a 37-year-old Black man, died following a confrontation with Ottawa police on July 24, 2016.
Montsion was found not guilty of manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon on Oct. 20 of this year, and on Friday the Crown's office told Radio-Canada it would not appeal that finding.
Justice Robert Kelly ruled the Crown did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Montsion's actions caused Abdi's death.
Kelly also said he was not convinced Montsion used force that was a substantial departure from what a reasonable police officer would do, or that it went beyond what's justified in the Criminal Code.
Abdi's death and the subsequent court decision sparked anger and grief among many people in Ottawa, leading to rallies over the years and the formation of the Justice for Abdirahman coalition, which has pushed for changes to the policing and justice systems.
The coalition is one of the groups behind a sit-in this week at the intersection of Laurier Avenue and Nicholas Street near the University of Ottawa.
The Abdi family has launched a $1.5M lawsuit against the Ottawa Police Services Board, former Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau, and both Montsion and Const. Dave Weir, who also responded to that July 2016 call.