Toronto

Inquest into Sammy Yatim's death scheduled for January

A date has been set for a coroner’s inquest into the death of Sammy Yatim, an 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a Toronto police officer on a city streetcar just over a decade ago.

Inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Yatim’s death, set to last 13 days

A headshot of Sammy Yatim
A coroner's inquest into Sammy Yatim's death has been scheduled for January 2024. (Facebook/The Canadian Press)

A date has been set for a coroner's inquest into the death of Sammy Yatim, an 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a Toronto police officer on a city streetcar just over a decade ago.

In a news release issued Thursday, the coroner's office said the inquest, which is mandatory under provincial law, will begin on Jan. 12, 2024. 

Dr. David Cameron will be the presiding officer and Peter Napier and Grace Alcaide Janicas will be inquest counsel.

Yatim was shot multiple times by Const. James Forcillo while standing alone holding a small knife on the streetcar on July 27, 2013. Cellphone footage of the shooting posted online set off a wave of public outrage and calls for police reform.

The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Yatim's death, and the presiding jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.

The proceedings are expected to last 13 days, with 14 witnesses set to give testimony.

WATCH | Yatim's mother speaks, 10 years on:

"I'm still fighting for justice," Sammy Yatim's mother says 10 years after his death

1 year ago
Duration 4:16
Sahar Bahadi sat down with CBC's Talia Ricci a decade after Toronto police fatally shot her son. She said she's still calling for cops to have better training and more patience, especially when responding to mental health calls. "I would like to have my trust again in police," she said.