2-year-old dead, 1-year-old hurt after 55-foot drop from Minneapolis rooftop

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- A Minneapolis family is mourning the loss of a 2-year-old boy after police said he and his brother fell 55 feet from the rooftop of an apartment.
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Officers said Abdiqani Abdi and 1-year-old Abdirizak were playing on the porch before the tragic incident. The pair fell onto a rooftop landing before falling from the building onto a patio.

"They are very emotional right now," Grad Darhir, a close family friend, told WCCO. "They are in a tough situation - to accept it, but we are Muslim, and we have faith and we believe things happen."

On Thursday, friends and family gathered to remember Abdiqani, just hours after he lost his life.

Abdirizak is in the hospital but is expected to recover. Family friends said the child broke three ribs and has a fractured skull.
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Loved ones said the boys were known for one thing: their smiles.

Preliminary investigation shows the incident was an accident.



"There's no indication at this time that these children's descent was caused by anything other than the children themselves," said John Elder, with the Minneapolis Police Department.

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