Jurors in coroner’s inquest into death of Sammy Yatim issue 63 recommendations

TORONTO – Jurors at an inquest into the death of a teen shot by a Toronto police officer more than a decade ago have issued 63 recommendations in an effort to prevent similar deaths in the future.

The recommendations touch on issues such as officer training and monitoring, peer intervention and mental health supports for officers and family members of those killed or seriously injured by police.

Jurors expressed their condolences to the family of Sammy Yatim after the recommendations were read aloud.

Yatim was alone on a streetcar and holding a small knife when he was hit by two volleys of shots shortly after midnight on July 27, 2013. He was 18 at the time.,

The officer who shot him, then-Const. James Forcillo, was found not guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the first volley of bullets, which court heard was fatal, but was convicted of attempted murder for the second volley, fired when Yatim was already on the ground.

Forcillo was sentenced to six and a half years behind bars and was granted full parole in 2020.

The jury was told to focus on issues related to police decision making and best practices in dealing with people in crisis.

The inquest is not meant to review and re-examine the details of the shooting or Forcillo’s actions that night, they were told.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.