By Canadian Press

Ottawa constable charged in death of Black man acted reasonably: defence

Jul 20, 2020 | 10:43 AM

Lawyers for an Ottawa constable charged in the death of a Black man argue his actions during the confrontation four years ago were “reasonable and proportionate.”

Closing submissions are being heard over video conference today in the case of Const. Daniel Montsion, who is charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon in the 2016 death of Abdirahman Abdi.

Montsion was one of two officers involved in an altercation with Abdi on July 24, 2016.

Abdi, a 37-year-old Somali-Canadian man, lost vital signs during the incident and died in hospital the next day.

Defence lawyer Solomon Friedman says by the time Montsion arrived at the scene that day, the officer had already heard that Abdi was acting violently, that he had fled, and that he had been pepper sprayed with no effect.

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He says Montsion was “armed with an enormous amount of information” and acted accordingly, following his police training.

“This is not a case where de-escalation plays a role. Const. Montsion had a duty to act, and he acted,” Friedman told the court Monday.

Closing arguments are set to be heard through Wednesday. The hearing was initially scheduled for April but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 20, 2020.

The Canadian Press