Coroner’s inquest into death of Toronto teen Sammy Yatim resumes today

A coroner’s inquest into the death of Sammy Yatim, a
Toronto teen who was shot by a police officer on an empty streetcar,
resumes today.

The inquest began Friday and heard from Yatim’s parents and
sister, who urged jurors to recommend more support for families in
their situation.

The inquest also heard testimony from the man who drove the
streetcar Yatim was on, and jurors viewed video of the teen’s
confrontation with police on July 27, 2013.

READ MORE: Family of Sammy Yatim tells inquest they still struggle to cope with teen’s death

Yatim, who was 18 at the time, was alone on a streetcar and
holding a small knife when he was shot by then-Const. James Forcillo
shortly after midnight.

He was hit by two rounds of shots. Jurors in Forcillo’s criminal
trial acquitted him of second-degree murder related to the first
round of shots, which court heard had killed the teen, but found him
guilty of attempted murder related to the second volley.

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