Shukri Abdi’s Death Was Not an Accident
The Claim
Shukri Abdi's drowning was an accident after the girl played too close to the river.
Emerging story
A BBC article quotes Greater Manchester Police, who said Ms. Abdi's drowning was a "tragic incident" that was not suspicious.
Social media users also initially referred to the drowning as an accident.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar's investigation shows that on June 27, 2019, Shukri Abdi died after going into the River Irwell and drowning. Greater Manchester Police initially treated the incident as a “tragic accident,” saying that her death was not suspicious. Detective Inspector Andrew Naismith said, “With the warmer weather, it's tempting to go into the water to cool off” but that he “would strongly urge against this." Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service stated they thought Ms. Abdi had drowned after playing in the river with two other children.
However, Abdi’s family said that she could not swim, so going near the river would be “out of character” for her. Her uncle, Mustaf Omar, said, “She was a sweet, innocent child. Her mum is absolutely destroyed. Everything about it is out of character for her. She couldn't swim so she wouldn't even go near the edge."
Following the recent Black Lives Matter protests, #JusticeForShukriAbdi has been trending on Twitter. User @shdxo_ wrote, “This wasn’t prepared & I’m so nervous about posting this but I spoke at the Cardiff protests about Shukri Abdi, A 12 year old child who was drowned by racists and hasn’t received any justice. Shukri, I will never stop screaming your name!”
According to an article by The Guardian, a child from Abdi’s school told police that just hours before her death she had been “pushed around” by the children who accompanied her to the river. One of the children is said to have told Abdi: “If you don’t get into the water I’m going to kill you.”
After Abdi’s death, her school, Broad Oak College Sports, said it would review its anti-bullying policy.
