Victoria police has rejected claims the fatal shooting of a man in Melbourne’s west last week was racially motivated. This afternoon, hundreds rallied in Footscray questioning why officers weren't armed with tasers and calling for more mental health support.
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00:00Calls for change from a community in mourning.
00:11Hundreds rallying in the heart of Footscray to honor the life of 35-year-old Abdi Fatah
00:16Ahmed, who was shot dead by police last week after allegedly charging at officers with
00:21a knife.
00:22This killing has shaken us all. As a community, we are in a deep grave, and we are still in
00:30a shock.
00:31Protesters gathered just meters from where Mr. Ahmed was killed, before marching through
00:36Melbourne's west to Footscray police station in what police say was a largely peaceful
00:40protest.
00:43Those who knew Mr. Ahmed say he was struggling with his mental health.
00:46Abdi Fatah was a son, a brother and a young man in a clear distress. He needed care, kindness
00:55and support, not to be met with deadly force.
01:00Others suggested his race was a factor in his death. It's a claim Victoria police denies,
01:06saying we strongly reject any claims that this matter was racially motivated.
01:10So if I do something good, they will say Australia did something good. But if I'm on the bad side,
01:15they will say African or refugees are doing something bad.
01:18We need to build that trust between the police and the community.
01:22Five days on since Abdi Fatah Ahmed was shot dead, and the grief within the local community
01:27is still fresh. Many still have questions about the events leading up to the shooting,
01:31and whether it could have been avoided.
01:33Today police confirmed the officers involved in the fatal shooting were not armed with tasers.
01:39The force is rolling tasers out to all frontline officers, but just 60 percent currently
01:43have them.
01:47Mr. Ahmed's death will be reviewed by a coroner.