Protesters to gather at street where Abdifatah Ahmed was fatally shot by police
Melbourne's outraged Somali community is demanding answers from the Premier and the state's top cop over why police shot dead a 'warm and friendly' man who brandished a knife at a busy shopping strip.
Hundreds of protesters are on Tuesday expected to descend on the street where two officers gunned down 35-year-old Abdifatah Ahmed on Thursday night after he allegedly ignored orders to drop his weapon.
His death has sparked outrage in Melbourne's Somali community, with advocates calling for Premier Jacinta Allan and Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Rick Nugent to oversee an independent investigation into the shooting.
They are also calling for a statewide taser rollout for Victoria Police to be fast tracked and for the officers who fired the fatal shots to be charged and stood down during the probe.
Police say Mr Ahmed lunged at the officers near the Metro West mall on Albert St in Footscray about 9pm, forcing them to open fire.
Mr Ahmed, who had no fixed address and suffered from poor mental health, died at the scene.
Protesters were set to gather at Nicholson St in Footscray on Tuesday afternoon.
President of Somali Community Inc Farah Warsame said the move by police to draw their weapons raised major concerns about why they did not deploy pepper spray or have tasers.
'Abdifatah was a son, a brother, and a young man in visible distress. He needed care,
compassion, and support, not fatal force,' he said.
'This tragedy highlights broader systemic concerns, including over-policing, racial profiling, and inadequate mental health responses when it comes to African Australian communities. 'These are not new issues. We have raised them before, and we raise them again because lives are at stake.'
Some community sources told the Herald Sun they held concerns tensions in the crown could erupt because of the level of outrage fuelled by the fatal shooting.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said officers would patrol the planned demonstration on Tuesday.
'Victoria Police respects the right for peaceful protest however any unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated,' she said.
Mr Ahmed, who was a refugee from Somalia, was well known in the Footscray area and has been described as a man who was usually 'warm and fun-loving' with a quick sense of humour.
'He lived with mental health challenges, but he was always calm and peaceful,' Africause chief executive Berhan Ahmed told the Herald Sun on Sunday.
It is understood that the officers involved have not been stood down, with Commander Tim Tully backing their actions, despite witnesses labelling the fatal approach as 'senseless'.
It was revealed in the wake of Mr Ahmed's death that the officers who shot him were not equipped with tasers.
Just over half of frontline officers have been equipped with the technology under a $214m revamp set to be complete by September next year.
Victoria Police's Professional Standards command is overseeing the homicide probe into Mr Ahmed's death, which is standard practice when police are involved in a shooting.
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