Confidential settlement reached between Abdi family and Ottawa police board

OTTAWA -- The Family of Abdirahman Abdi and the Ottawa Police Services Board have reached an agreement that ends the civil action related to Abdi’s death in 2016, according to a joint statement released Monday evening.

While details of the agreement are confidential, the statement adds that both parties agree that significant improvement should be made to the way Ottawa police respond to mental health events.

“The Family, the Board, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) and the community mourn the death of Mr. Abdi,” the statement reads.

“The Board and OPS recognize the tragedy of Mr. Abdi’s death as well as the need to respect the Family’s healing process.”

This call for changes relating to mental health events, comes the same day the Board heard public delegations on the service’s plan for a mental health strategy.

"The settlement of the civil action in our view represents a recognition by the police that change and significant improvements to the police response must take place and that the time for those changes is now," said Lawrence Greenspon who represented Abdi's family.

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  Abdirahman Abdi died after an altercation with Ottawa police July 24, 2016. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Family of Abdirahman Abdi)

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  A boy plays in a fountain surrounded by candles lit in a memorial for Abdirahman Abdi, who died after an altercation with Ottawa Police officers Sunday, on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 in Ottawa. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang)

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  People assemble to honour Abdirahman Abdi in a protest at Ottawa's police headquarters on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Abdi, 37, died following a confrontation with police last Sunday in front of his home in downtown Ottawa. (Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS)