Visitation for Sammy Yatim held Wednesday
Posted July 31, 2013 9:09 am.
Last Updated January 21, 2016 2:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Friends and family of Sammy Yatim gathered Wednesday evening at a funeral home in Scarborough where a visitation was held.
The 18 year old was killed by police during a standoff on a streetcar early Saturday morning.
Visitation took place at Highland Funeral Home, according to a Facebook page dedicated to Yatim. A funeral service will be held at the same location at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Yatim’s mother hasn’t eaten in days, said family friend Joseph Nazar, adding that friends have been trying to feed her spoonfuls of soup.
His father has also been too grief-stricken to eat.
“I’ve told him … he needs to be able to stand at the funeral,” Nazar said.
On Tuesday, Nazar read a formal statement on behalf of family members, thanking the public for its support and expressed how heartbroken and confused they were by their nightmare.
They also stated they held no ill will towards the police force and thanked chief Bill Blair for reaching out to them and assuring them a full investigation will take place.
Eyewitness video showed police firing multiple times at Yatim who was armed with a knife but alone on the streetcar. The incident outraged the public and prompted a protest march on Monday and another planned next month at a regular meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board.
Toronto police Const. James Forcillo was identified on Tuesday as the officer being investigated by the province’s police watchdog in the fatal shooting, his lawyer Peter Brauti told CityNews.
In addition to the Special Investigations Unit probe, Blair promised a full investigation of the officers involved and a review of the force’s policies, procedures and training.
Ontario’s ombudsman Andre Marin also weighed in on the case on Wednesday, saying his office would be reviewing the incident to determine if it could trigger a wider investigation.
With files from CityNews and The Canadian Press
