Grieving family seeks clarity after autistic Somali boy’s death following school medical incident
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Katrina Pross, Mohamud Farah and Joey Peters, Sahan Journal
Community members in St. Cloud are searching for answers after a 7-year-old Somali student died following what police say was a medical emergency at his elementary school.
The family of Abdinasir Maow Gedi, a second-grader who was autistic and nonverbal, said he was healthy when he arrived at Westwood Elementary on the morning of Sept. 16. His uncle, Hassan Gurhan, said the family received a call from police about 10:30 a.m., informing them that Abdinasir was in critical condition at CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital.
Abdinasir was then taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, and was placed on life support. He died on Sept. 20.
Abdinasir’s father, Maow Gedi, said the director of the school’s special education program reached out a day later, but the family had not heard directly from anyone else at the school following their son’s death.
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Hassan said the child’s family and community are “very concerned” and seeking more information from school officials and law enforcement about what led to Abdinasir’s death.
“If the cause of this tragedy is not transparently shared with the family, we are fearful for the future of our children,” said Imam Abdinour Reshid, of St. Cloud’s Iqra Education Center. “Something is wrong.”
What we know about Tuesday’s incident
According to police records, St. Cloud Police Department officers responded to Westwood Elementary at about 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 16 to a report that a student, identified as Abdinasir, was having a seizure.
When officers arrived, Abdinasir was not breathing and was unconscious. First responders administered CPR, and Abdinasir was taken to St. Cloud Hospital. He was then transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to Sahan Journal that Abdinasir died on Sept. 20 and that an autopsy was performed, but declined to provide more information about his death. The office said it could take several weeks for a cause of death to be determined.
Brett Mushatt, assistant chief of the St. Cloud Police Department, said the incident is still under investigation until the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office concludes the child’s cause of death. He said investigators don’t suspect any foul play.
“So now we’re just waiting,” he said. “We’ll wait with the Medical Examiner’s Office to get the final determination of the cause of death.”
In a statement Monday, St. Cloud Area Schools said that the district was “deeply saddened” to report that the student died, but is not releasing further information about the incident “out of respect for the family’s privacy” and due to privacy laws.
“Following the incident, the district conducted a full review of our response and operations and welcomed and cooperated with law enforcement officials as they conducted an independent review. We have also reached out to the family and remain committed to transparency,” the statement reads in part.
A grieving community
A crowd of about 400 people gathered at North Star Cemetery in St. Cloud on Monday for Abdinasir’s funeral.
Many still had questions about what happened.
”I am heartbroken to be at Abdinasir’s funeral, saying goodbye before we even know what led to his death,” Hassan Gurhan said.
Imam Mohamed Nuh Dahir, the imam of Islamic Center of St. Cloud spoke at the service, expressing the community’s concern and desire to know more details.
“As a community, we’re very concerned,” he said. “All we know is that Abdinasir died, but other than that, we don’t know.”
Racey Rodne, an attorney for the Gedi family, declined to comment in depth on the incident.
“We have been in contact with the school,” Rodne wrote in an email to Sahan Journal on Monday. “They are willing to meet and we will meet with them when appropriate. We have also been in contact with the police who are investigating this matter.”
