After Abdirahman Abdi's death, customer wants people to stop taking anger out on Bridgehead

A frequent customer atthe Ottawa coffee shop that called 911 onAbdirahman Abdisays any anger over the Somali-Canadian man's deathshould be directed at the police who arrested him not the caf's employees.

Ernie Denaulttold CBC News that, since Abdi's death,staff at the Bridgehead at Wellington Street West and Fairmont Avenue have been blamed in-person for their response on July 24.

But he said the managerwho made the 911 call shouldn't be demonized for making that decision.

"He's taking it on himself like it's his fault for phoning the police in the first place. Which it's not. They did exactly what they should've did," Denault said Friday.

• Abdirahman Abdi worried Bridgehead customers before fatal arrest
• TIMELINE |Abdirahman Abdi's fatal encounter with Ottawa Police

Abdi died one day after being arrested outside his Hilda Street apartment, only a few blocks away from the coffee shop where police received reports that a man had been groping people.

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit continues to investigate the circumstances around the 37-year-old's death, focusing their probe on twoOttawa Police Service officers involved in the arrest: constablesDave Weir andDanielMontsion.

Abdi was never violent previously

Denault said Fridaythat he goes to the Bridgehead"almost every morning" since moving to the neighbourhood four years ago. He said he was there the morning of Abdi's arrest, and saw Abdi there, but didn't see any violencetake place.

Denault said Abdiwould often come into the shop and "just stare at people," adding that he'd never seen the man physically confront anyone before.

"He had never touched anybody before ... he'd just make you feel uncomfortable, because he'd sit there and stare at you," Denault said. "He'd sit there with a coffee. I guess he'd just get so mixed up in his mind."

Abdi'sfamily has said that, before his death, Abdisuffered from mental health issues.

Echoes comments from cafpresident

Denault's description of Abdi's behaviour echoes that of Bridgehead president Tracey Clark, who broke her silence on CBC Radio'sOttawa Morningand spoke about how she felt the experience of both the coffee shop's customers and employees had been rendered "invisible" by the furor around Abdi's death.

• 'March for Justice for Abdirahman Abdi' in Ottawa draws hundreds

Clark also said Abdi would stand and stare at customers, sometimes getting a "little too close." Before his death, staff had talked to Abdi about his behaviour, Clark said.

"The story very quickly jumped to the police brutality that's alleged to be involved, and it jumped to justice for Mr. Abdi which, on a personal level, I think is totally appropriate that it does," Clark said.

"There was a real minimization of what the staff or the customers in the store experienced ...the staff describe it as a bit surreal, almost, because what happened in the store was an assault and an escalating situation where there really wasn't a choice and there were multiple calls to 911."

Denault told CBC News that since Abdi's death, he's seen people come into the Bridgehead and tell the manager who made the 911 call that he never should have alertedthe police.

"It's really weighing on him," said Denault."People got tostop taking it out on the staff. Thestaff are only doing their job."