GUILTY Canada - Sammy Yatim, 18, fatally shot by Toronto LE, 27 July 2013

[tarabull]

18 year old was shot dead aboard a streetcar in July.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...to-police-shooting-yatim-officer-charged.html

 

[matou]

I'm happy with the charge, Sammy didn't need to die, he needed help. If this cop is convicted, I'll be shocked.

 

[tarabull]

Yatim, 18, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of July 27 during a standoff with police. Local surveillance video and cellphone images taken by passersby showed Yatim, who was holding a knife, pacing back and forth on the empty streetcar as police shout, “Drop the knife.” Then, over the course of 13 seconds, nine shots ring out. A Taser was also used during the incident.


Read more:*http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/toront...th-streetcar-shooting-1.1417158#ixzz2cQxfPyA1

 

[tarabull]

What happened in the words of a witness

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/08/04/sammy_yatim_what_happened_in_the_words_of_witnesses.html

(ETA: within one minute of police arriving Sammy was dead. Is this really the only thread on this story...???)

 

[kitley2001]

Tara..thanks so much for starting this thread! I was hoping someone would do it, as I don't know how. Also I agree with your saying of a world without dogs.

 

[musicaljoke]

I'm glad to hear that murder charges have been laid. There was no need for a police officer to kill this young man.

Q: How do you get a knife from a teenage male who is confined to a bus.

A: Wait three hours. Offer fries and pepsi in exchange for the knife.

 

[tarabull]

Officer charged in Sammy Yatim shooting to surrender today

Const. James Forcillo, 30, to face 2nd-degree murder

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...o-yatim-shooting-officer-surrender-court.html

 

[SideKick]

I too am pleased with the outcome so far. Sammy needed help, one of our boys in Toronto needed HELP! Not killed. It saddens me greatly and I am even more saddened that our Police would do this to him. He was on a streetcar, pedestrians removed therefore he was not going to harm anyone. He freaked out. It happens.

 

[tarabull]

Sammy Yatim streetcar shooting officer appears in court

Lawyer says 2nd-degree murder charge against Const. James Forcillo 'a life-changing incident'

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...o-yatim-shooting-officer-surrender-court.html

 

[matou]

Sammy Yatim streetcar shooting officer appears in court

Lawyer says 2nd-degree murder charge against Const. James Forcillo 'a life-changing incident'

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...o-yatim-shooting-officer-surrender-court.html

"Life-changing incident???" It was the ultimate life-changing incident for Sammy, he has no life anymore.

 

[Tink]

I do think this is the right charge. I can't help but wonder what the police officer was thinking - why he did this.

Tink

 

[matou]

8 out of 9 bullets entered his body.

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/08/22/8-of-9-shots-fired-at-sammy-yatim-hit-the-teen

 

[airplanelamp]

He was told to drop the knife and did not. He was told to stop moving forward (toward the door) and then moved forward. A person with a knife can move 21 feet forward in less than 2 sec and a knife will puncture a bullet proof vest easily. I don't think the officer was wrong to fear for his life and I don't think he was wrong to fire the first batch of shots.

 

[Snoopster]

He was told to drop the knife and did not. He was told to stop moving forward (toward the door) and then moved forward. A person with a knife can move 21 feet forward in less than 2 sec and a knife will puncture a bullet proof vest easily. I don't think the officer was wrong to fear for his life and I don't think he was wrong to fire the first batch of shots.

But what about the second batch of bullets? I am curious about what the officers around the scene thought about this.

Mental health issues will, unfortunately, be dealt with in a life-threatening way on occasion. Sometimes it can't be avoided. I am having trouble believing that this is one of them. I am comfortable waiting for a proper review to find out all of the facts though.

 

[nobodyzgirl]

I thought this was an interesting read; giving some reason as to why only one charge was laid, when the Crown generally includes less serious offences with the serious offence charge:

Compromise verdicts are a reality of jury trials in Canada, where 12 people must come to a unanimous decision to find guilt of anything. In fact, both the Crown and the defence often pursue compromise verdicts.

When it charges someone, the Crown often includes charges of less serious offences. It does this to guard against juries not being able to come to unanimous verdicts of guilt on charges with more serious penalties.

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2013/08/23/sammy_yatim_murder_charge_perplexes_defence_bar.html

 

[LadyL]

I too am pleased with the outcome so far. Sammy needed help, one of our boys in Toronto needed HELP! Not killed. It saddens me greatly and I am even more saddened that our Police would do this to him. He was on a streetcar, pedestrians removed therefore he was not going to harm anyone. He freaked out. It happens.

[bbm]

huh? 'it' being someone threatening the lives of people on a streetcar by waving a knife around, screaming obscenities at them while holding his genitals?

that's something that just 'happens'?

I'm confused because incidents like that are not part of my average day

none of us knows that he was not going to harm anyone - none of us knows whether he had a gun or other weapons on that streetcar or on his person

and what do you mean one of your boys in Toronto needed help? did you know Sammy personally?

 

[matou]

There was NO ONE on the street car at all when he was shot at NINE times. The bus was empty. No one was being threatened. He was talking to the the cops and notice NOT ONE OTHER officer reacted at all really to him other than the one who shot at him? THEY weren't threatened at all but somehow this other cop was. WHY? He didn't need to be shot at nine times. JMO

 

[margarita25]

I'm guessing it won't be long before there is publication ban in this case...seems like that happens in these cases out of Ontario...Noelle Paquette, Tim Bosma...

 

[margarita25]

Here's an article from July 30th:

7 unanswered questions about the Toronto streetcar shooting

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/07/30/f-toronto-streetcar-shooting-questions.html

 

[A.D.A McCoy]

He was told to drop the knife and did not. He was told to stop moving forward (toward the door) and then moved forward. A person with a knife can move 21 feet forward in less than 2 sec and a knife will puncture a bullet proof vest easily. I don't think the officer was wrong to fear for his life and I don't think he was wrong to fire the first batch of shots.

He was told to drop the knife and did not.

That doesn't justify being shot nine times.

He was told to stop moving forward (toward the door) and then moved forward.

This is important. At the point he was shot, he was further away from the police than he was seconds earlier.

A person with a knife can move 21 feet forward in less than 2 sec and a knife will puncture a bullet proof vest easily.

What a person can do is irrelevant. The kid wasn't charging anybody.

I don't think the officer was wrong to fear for his life and I don't think he was wrong to fire the first batch of shots.

In my opinion, I don't believe there was a legitimate reason for the cop to fear for his life. Yatin was further away from the door when he was killed. He wasn't rushing out the door, so I don't see a life threating action. In fact, just before the shots, another officer approximately the same distance away as the shooter, has his or her hands on their hips. In addition to that, there was plenty of backup. He could have shot him in the leg. I just don't see the justification for firing nine rounds in this situation. JMO.