Toronto police officer charged in Sammy Yatim shooting
- 9 years ago
Originally published on August 20, 2013
A Toronto police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a knife-wielding teenager in Canada's largest city was on Monday charged with murder by an Ontario police watchdog, according to a report by the CBC.
The shooting last month of eighteen-year-old Sammy Yatim sparked an uproar after amateur video footage of the incident was posted on Youtube.
Constable James Forcillo now faces a second-degree murder charge for his involvement in the death of Yatim. The charges come a mere four weeks after the shooting.
The video evidence played a major role in why Ontario's Special Investigations Unit laid charges uncharacteristically fast, said prominent Toronto lawyer Julian Falconer in an appearance on CBC Radio.
Yatim died after police fired on him nine times following a brief standoff which had him cornered in an empty street car armed only with a knife. Toronto police receiving heavy criticism for what many called extreme and unnecessary force.
Syrian-born Yatim allegedly pulled out a knife on a Toronto streetcar late on July 26 and forced passengers and the driver off the vehicle.
Police arrived shortly after to find Yatim still in the streetcar, alone.
Footage shows police outside the streetcar roughly five metres from the teen. One officer drew his weapon amid commands for Yatim to put down his knife. Yatim did not immediately comply.
The video shows Yatim taking steps toward the entrance before an officer fires. Six more shots follow. Moments later, another officer appears to use a taser on the fallen youth.
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A Toronto police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a knife-wielding teenager in Canada's largest city was on Monday charged with murder by an Ontario police watchdog, according to a report by the CBC.
The shooting last month of eighteen-year-old Sammy Yatim sparked an uproar after amateur video footage of the incident was posted on Youtube.
Constable James Forcillo now faces a second-degree murder charge for his involvement in the death of Yatim. The charges come a mere four weeks after the shooting.
The video evidence played a major role in why Ontario's Special Investigations Unit laid charges uncharacteristically fast, said prominent Toronto lawyer Julian Falconer in an appearance on CBC Radio.
Yatim died after police fired on him nine times following a brief standoff which had him cornered in an empty street car armed only with a knife. Toronto police receiving heavy criticism for what many called extreme and unnecessary force.
Syrian-born Yatim allegedly pulled out a knife on a Toronto streetcar late on July 26 and forced passengers and the driver off the vehicle.
Police arrived shortly after to find Yatim still in the streetcar, alone.
Footage shows police outside the streetcar roughly five metres from the teen. One officer drew his weapon amid commands for Yatim to put down his knife. Yatim did not immediately comply.
The video shows Yatim taking steps toward the entrance before an officer fires. Six more shots follow. Moments later, another officer appears to use a taser on the fallen youth.
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TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.
For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS
Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:
http://www.youtube.