Officer Cleared in Tragic Taser Incident
A West Midlands Police officer will not face misconduct proceedings after Tasering a man who subsequently fell to his death from a window in Birmingham, the police watchdog has confirmed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) ruled there was no case to answer for the officer involved in the incident that led to the death of 34-year-old Ayuub Abdi, described by his family as a 'kind-hearted family man'.
What Happened That Night
The tragic sequence of events unfolded in the early hours of September 6, 2023, when police responded to emergency calls about a violent disturbance at a house on Lansdowne Road in Handsworth.
Officers were told that Mr Abdi had allegedly attacked and injured two residents and attempted to stab them before barricading himself in his room on the top floor of the property.
Police body-worn video footage examined by investigators showed one officer approaching Mr Abdi with his Taser drawn, believing the man was still armed with a knife. At the moment the Taser was discharged, Mr Abdi was stepping onto the back of a chair near an open window with closed blinds. He fell forward through the window from the two-storey height.
Inquest and Investigation Findings
A nine-day inquest concluded on Thursday, November 27, with a jury recording that Mr Abdi died from head injuries sustained in the fall during the police operation to detain and arrest him.
In their narrative conclusion, the jury noted that evidence did not clearly confirm whether the Taser use contributed to Mr Abdi's exit from the window.
The IOPC investigation, which included reviewing extensive body-worn video and CCTV footage, found that the officer's use of Taser was justified given the circumstances. An independent expert concluded that the Taser represented 'the most appropriate tactical option to achieve immediate control of a suspect who was believed to be armed with a knife'.
PC Ryan Trowsdale, the officer who deployed the Taser, described his shock and disbelief at the inquest, stating: 'It felt like your whole world was crashing around you. My chest felt like it had dropped' when he saw Mr Abdi fall.
The Crown Prosecution Service had previously decided in April last year not to bring any criminal charges against the officer after reviewing the evidence file.
Watchdog's Final Decision
IOPC Director Derrick Campbell expressed sympathy for Mr Abdi's family while explaining the decision: 'Our final decision was that there was no case to answer for the officer who discharged his Taser. We gave weight to the circumstances faced by the officer, given two people had been injured, and a report by an independent expert'.
Mr Campbell added that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the officer didn't genuinely believe Mr Abdi posed a threat, or that this belief was unreasonable in the circumstances.
The investigation had thoroughly examined whether police acted in line with legislation, procedure and policy during the incident.
