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But they show the aftermath. The videos show police officers standing and crouching over Abdi’s prone, bloody body and, some time later, administering CPR.

The SIU said Abdi was in a state of “medical distress” before he was transported to hospital. His cause of death has not been released by the SIU.

And while Abdi’s grieving family — his mother and father and brother and sister — will await a verdict in what’s likely to be a long criminal case, they will not wait to pursue civil liability for Abdirahman’s death.

Photo by James Park / Postmedia

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Abdi’s brother, Jama Abdi, told the Citizen Monday afternoon that he can’t discuss the pending charge against an officer involved in his brother’s death. He directed all inquiries to the family’s lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon.

“They have shown great strength,” Greenspon told reporters Monday afternoon. “It’s not something anyone would want to go through. They’re a very proud family and they continue to weather the storm. They have received a lot of support from family, friends and the community.”

Greenspon said the Abdi family will be seeking financial damages for loss of care, guidance and companionship, though Greenspon would not say who will ultimately be named in the lawsuit, which has yet to be filed.

Such a case would have to be started within two years of the date of Abdi’s arrest so it is likely it will be started before the criminal case is over.

Montsion is an anti-gang officer who responded to 911 calls reporting a man groping women at the Bridgehead coffee shop on Fairmont Avenue on the Sunday morning of Abdi’s arrest. By Monday afternoon, part-way through a police board meeting, Abdi was officially pronounced dead.