Sammy Yatim, an 18-year-old man, was fatally shot by Toronto police late Friday night.
Yatim was alone on a stopped streetcar during his encounter with police, after brandishing a knife and ordering the driver and passengers out earlier.
In a bystander video uploaded to YouTube, several police officers outside the streetcar can be seen pointing their guns at the young man and ordering him to drop the knife. At about 38 seconds, with Yatim still isolated on the streetcar and posing no apparent threat, officers open fire. After three initial rounds, police fire six more shots at Yatim. As commenter IamRickB points out, police also used a Taser — or a “conducted energy weapon” as the SIU calls it.
Yatim died on site and his body was later transported to St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto.
The shooting is being investigated by the Special Investigations Unit, a provincial agency that looks into cases of serious injury, death or alleged sexual assault involving police officers.
[Toronto Star]