Judge dismisses Toronto cop’s appeal in shooting of Sammy Yatim

Ontario’s top court has dismissed the appeal of a Toronto police officer who was convicted of attempted murder in the 2013 shooting death of a troubled teen.

Const. James Forcillo fired two separate volleys at Sammy Yatim, an 18-year-old who was wielding a small knife on an empty streetcar.

Forcillo was convicted of attempted murder related to the second volley, but was acquitted of the more serious charge of second-degree murder at his 2016 trial.

The officer contested the guilty verdict, asking the appeal court to substitute a not-guilty verdict or order a new trial.

Forcillo argued the trial judge improperly excluded evidence on Yatim’s state of mind, and wrongly instructed the jury to consider the two volleys of gunfire as separate incidents.

The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed Forcillo’s appeal of his conviction in its decision today.