Toronto Constable James Forcillo has been convicted of attempted murder in the death of Sammy Yatim. The officer was found not guilty of the more serious charge of second-degree murder.
The murder charge was in relation to the first volley of three shots he fired at the 18-year-old student during a July 2013 confrontation on a Toronto streetcar.
The officer argued – and the jury accepted – that is was reasonable to fire those shots at Mr. Yatim, who was brandishing a knife.
The attempted murder count was in relation to a second volley of shots shots the officer fired while Mr. Yatim was on the floor of the streetcar.
Five of those shots hit Mr. Yatim but they were determined not to be the cause of death – leading the crown to add a charge of attempted murder after the preliminary hearing last year.
There were gasps in the courtroom when the jury announced the officer was not guilty of second-degree murder, after more than five days of deliberation and a four-month long trial. (more...)
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