Inquest into Sammy Yatim’s 2013 death to be held next month
Posted December 14, 2023 3:53 pm.
Last Updated December 14, 2023 6:49 pm.
A coroner’s inquest into the death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim in Toronto is expected to be held in January.
Yatim was shot multiple times by Toronto police Const. James Forcillo while standing alone holding a small knife on the streetcar on July 27, 2013.
Cellphone footage of the shooting posted online set off a wave of public outrage and calls for police reform.
An inquest into Yatim’s death is mandatory under Ontario’s Coroners Act. It will examine the circumstances surrounding Yatim’s death, and the jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further fatal incidents.
A long-awaited inquest into Yatim’s death was set to start in November 2022 but was delayed after Const. Forcillo argued that it should examine the possibility that Yatim died by “suicide by cop” – a theory rejected by the presiding coroner.
Const. Forcillo was the only police officer to open fire on Yatim, firing three shots that caused the teen to fall to the floor of the TTC streetcar, followed by a second volley of six more shots.
In 2016, a jury acquitted Forcillo of the more serious charge of second-degree murder related to the first round of shots – which the court heard killed the teen – but convicted the officer of attempted murder related to the second volley, fired while Yatim was lying on his back.
Forcillo was sentenced to six and a half years behind bars and began serving prison time in 2017 after an unsuccessful appeal. He was granted full parole in 2020.
The inquest is expected to last 13 days and hear from approximately 14 witnesses. It’s slated to begin at around 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 12, 2024.
With files from Tyler Griffin of The Canadian Press
