Constable free on $510,000 bail
Toronto police officer charged in shooting of 18-year-old
A police officer charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim walked out of a downtown Toronto courthouse Tuesday, freed on $510,000 bail just hours after he surrendered to police.
Amid a phalanx of media cameras, a sombre Const. James Forcillo — who did not address reporters — quietly left the courthouse and entered a waiting SUV.
“He’s very upset and in shock, quite honestly,” Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack told reporters.
“It’s been very trying on him and his family.”
Superior Court Justice Gary Trotter’s reasons for setting Forcillo free on bail are covered by a publication ban, but the Crown did not oppose his release.
Forcillo’s bail conditions stipulate that he must report weekly to the province’s police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit.
The SIU concluded Monday that murder charges were warranted against Forcillo, who was captured on bystander video firing repeatedly at Yatim on July 27. Yatim, armed with a small knife, was alone
‘He’s very upset and in shock, quite honestly, It’s been very trying on him and his family.’ MIKE MCCORMACK President, Toronto Police Association
on a streetcar at the time.
“We are looking forward to moving the case forward in court,” Forcillo’s lawyer, Peter Brauti, told reporters.
“It’s very early days to judge this case. … That’s been one of the difficulties and the challenge in this case, is that there’s a lot of people who have rushed to judgment without all of the information.”
Brauti said his client was in a “very sombre mood,” adding “when you’ve been involved in the loss of life, the gravity of it is incredible.”
McCormack said the charges — rare for an on-duty officer — have sent shock waves through the Toronto force. The police association is paying the legal fees of Forcillo, a six-year member of the Toronto Police Service.
While bail applications in murder cases typically require several days of notice before being heard in Superior Court, Forcillo’s case was expedited given the unusual circumstances, Brauti said.
“This is a case where Mr. Forcillo didn’t ask to be in front of that streetcar; he was on duty and he had a legal obligation to be there,” Brauti said. “Now, we’ll have a trial about whether the decisions were right or wrong.”
The case could go to trial as early as next fall, lawyers say.