Hundreds of people rallied in central Footscray on Tuesday afternoon calling for justice, greater mental health support and an independent probe into the death of Abdifatah Ahmed who was shot by police five days earlier.
The 35-year-old Somali man was shot dead after allegedly lunging at two police officers with a knife near the corner of Paisley and Albert streets on the night of Thursday, April 17.
Tuesday’s rally began on Nicholson Street, a short distance from where Mr Ahmed was killed, before proceeding past Footscray Police station and finishing on Leeds Street.
Among those who attended was Somali Community Inc president Farah Warsame.
He said the community was in deep shock following Mr Ahmed’s death and the rally was an opportunity for them to come together and raise questions about the conduct of the two police officers involved.
“We are still wondering why the police didn’t use any other means like capsicum spray or a Taser to de-escalate the situation,” Mr Warsame said.
“Why didn’t they look for some other way? It is human life at the end of the day.
“We are not condemning every Victorian police (officer), we are only calling for the officers involved to be held accountable.”
Victoria Police has launched an investigation by the homicide squad with oversight from its professional standards command. The coroner will also investigate the incident.
On Tuesday, police confirmed the officers were not carrying Tasers.
“Unfortunately, police were confronted with an extremely volatile and high-risk situation and made a tactical decision to use their firearms in a small matter of moments,” a spokesperson said.
“We strongly reject any claims that this matter was racially motivated.
“These decisions are made in line with rigorous training police receive around dealing with armed offenders, with the safety of the community and our officers the number one priority.
“This was an incident that could have impacted the safety of a large number of people who were in the area on the night.”
A rollout of Tasers to all Victorian frontline police is on track to be completed by September 2026 and is currently 60 per cent complete.
The rollout was moving as “fast as it possibly can”, the police spokesperson said, noting that even with Tasers, officers had to assess which options to use.
The two officers involved are on leave, as per standard protocol.
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