Officer Recalls Moment His 'World Came Crashing Down'
A West Midlands Police officer has told an inquest how his 'world came crashing down' when a man he Tasered fell from a third-floor window and later died from his injuries.
Pc Ryan Trowsdale was giving evidence at the Birmingham Coroner's Court hearing into the death of 34-year-old Ayuub Abdi, described by his family as a 'kind-hearted family man'.
The incident occurred on September 6, 2023, at a house in multiple occupation (HMO) on Lansdowne Road in Handsworth.
The High-Risk Emergency Call
Pc Trowsdale, an officer with seven years of service, explained that he and his colleagues were responding to a high-risk emergency call shortly before 1am.
They had been informed that Mr Abdi was armed with a knife and had allegedly attacked, bitten, and tried to stab two of his housemates.
Upon seeing the injuries to one housemate, which included a knife scratch on the neck, Pc Trowsdale told a colleague he might need to 'light up' the suspect, meaning deploy his Taser.
'We knew this was potentially an extremely violent person we could be dealing with,' the officer told the jury.
The Confrontation in the Bedroom
Three officers, led by Pc Trowsdale, proceeded to the third floor where they found Mr Abdi sitting on a sofa in an unlocked, dark room.
Pc Trowsdale described the room as cluttered with empty alcohol bottles and general rubbish. He said Mr Abdi was talking erratically, mentioning 'prophet is mad' and 'this is serious', but not responding to direct questions.
The situation escalated when Mr Abdi 'abruptly' stood up. Pc Trowsdale said he felt this was confrontational and took two steps back, feeling 'very vulnerable'.
'It was the most stressful thing I've ever been through in my whole life,' he stated, adding that he believed Mr Abdi was gripping something in his pocket.
Fearing for his life and believing he was losing a safe distance to use his Taser effectively, Pc Trowsdale discharged the weapon.
At that moment, Mr Abdi fell from the open window, plummeting to the ground from a 'significant' height.
Aftermath and Inquest Proceedings
Pc Trowsdale described being in 'complete shock' and 'disbelief'.
'It felt like your whole world was crashing around you,' he told the jurors. 'My chest felt like it had dropped.'
He said he had expected the Taser to immobilise Mr Abdi in the room, not cause him to fall from the window.
Ayuub Abdi died in hospital the following day from the serious injuries sustained in the fall.
The inquest heard that an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) was carried out and that no further action was taken against Pc Trowsdale.
The inquest into Mr Abdi's death continues.
