The 11-person jury entered day two of its deliberations regarding Const. James Forcillo’s 2013 shooting of teenager Sammy Yatim.
Forcillo has pleaded not guilty to second-degree and attempted murder charges in the 18-year-old’s death on a Toronto streetcar.
Cell phone footage of the incident went viral online and sparked public criticism of the Toronto Police and their tactics. Multiple videos were presented during trial which provided various angles of the 50-second confrontation that left Yatim dead.
The videos show Forcillo and his partner as the first to arrive on the scene. It was less than a minute after Forcillo commanded Yatim to drop his knife that he fired nine shots at the teen – hitting him eight times. Following the shooting, Forcillo fired a taser at Yatim.
Crown prosecutors have argued that Forcillo’s actions were unwarranted and unreasonable. They claim Forcillo was a hot-headed bully and shot Yatim because the teenager was mocking the officer’s authority.
Forcillo’s defence team maintains it was an act of self-defence and his actions were justified. Forcillo took the stand and stated that he did not want to kill anyone, but felt that Yatim’s threat was imminent.
Justice Edward Then, who is presiding over the case, has reminded the jury to keep an open mind during their deliberations.
