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Sammy Yatim Shooting

M.R.Victor

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I did a quick search but founding nothing on the subject yet. Mods, I figure this should be under Toronto issues, though if a better place is found for it, please go ahead and move it. Edit: i also realize that there's a typo in the thread title, but I'm not certain how to change that.


From the Toronto star:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/07/29/after_sammy_yatim_videos_well_all_want_to_see_whats_next_dimanno.html

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair addressed the media at 11 a.m. today regarding the fatal police shooting of Sammy Yatim on a downtown streetcar early Saturday morning.
On July 27, just after midnight , a man died of a gunshot wound after officers fired at least nine shots into a streetcar at Dundas St. W. near Grace St., close to Trinity Bellwoods Park.
The man has been formally identified by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit as 18-year-old Sammy Yatim.
The SIU has assigned six investigators and two forensic investigators to investigate the incident.
Photos View gallery
A still taken from a video posted by YouTube user Markus Grupp shows Toronto Police officers shot early Saturday.
zoom
At this time there is one subject officer and 22 witness officers who have been designated.
A vigil will be held at the scene Monday evening to protest against police violence. Marchers will meet at Yonge-Dundas Square at 5 p.m. and make their way to Trinity Bellwoods Park, where the vigil will take place at 6:30 p.m.

And further coverage in Vice magazine, with links to the actual footage

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/why-did-the-toronto-police-kill-sammy-yatim
 
These guys fired nine shots at him and then used a taser, the police are ruthless. There must have been a better way to handle the situation than what occurred. Nothing will happen to them, meanwhile we have a life wasted and a family left to grieve.
 
These guys fired nine shots at him and then used a taser, the police are ruthless. There must have been a better way to handle the situation than what occurred. Nothing will happen to them, meanwhile we have a life wasted and a family left to grieve.

Yeah i don't understand why they didn't use the taser first? Or pepper spray? or a flash grenade? Seems like another case of a trigger happy cop causing contagious fire. With all the training the police go through you would think 10 officers could disarm a guy with a small knife without firing a single round. Discharging a fire arm should never be the response to this type of situation.
 
I can't pretend to understand the details of the situation but while the use of force may have been required and may have been justified by police protocal I can't see how the decision making of the police officers on scene makes any sense based on the footage captured. On the basis of that evidence I think the police need to seriously re-think their training and review how they handle these kinds of scenerios.
 
Not to say that the individual in question is guiltless, but personally I have to question whether someone who reacted in such a manner is fit to wield a deadly weapon.

AoD
 
The most ridiculous thing about the videos is the distinct sound of a tazer....after the volley of gunfire. Unless they were trying to restart the poor kid's heart it seems beyond futile. Eerily similar to the shooting of Oscar Grant... I can only imagine what the public reaction will be if/when the SIU clears the officer of responsibility.
 
sMT:

SIU is pretty toothless - I certainly wouldn't count on it right any wrongs. Thank gawd for citizen reporting however.

AoD
 
sMT:

SIU is pretty toothless - I certainly wouldn't count on it right any wrongs. Thank gawd for citizen reporting however.

AoD
The SIU is useless. I have never seen them charge one cop with any of their investigations. Police can pretty much shoot and kill whomever they want.
 
Adjei:

I think that's an exaggeration - I highly doubt police can shoot and kill just anyone not involved in any altercation and get away with it.

AoD
 
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MR Victor:

I would be quite perturbed if verbal taunting is all that's needed to escalate to the application of lethal force.

APTA:

Personally, it's less outrage and more incomprehensibility and being disturbed by how something so little (in the grand scheme of things, that's what it is) can lead to a person dead and a firearm discharged 9 times.

AoD
 
After watching the video, it does seem that Yatim was antagonizing the cops, after being told to put his knife down, he calls them names and yells some profanities at them. Still, this seems like a colossal amount of incompetence on the part of the police.

As one Peel region judge said in a ruling a couple of years ago "Contempt of cop is not a crime".
 
Yeah i don't understand why they didn't use the taser first? Or pepper spray? or a flash grenade? Seems like another case of a trigger happy cop causing contagious fire. With all the training the police go through you would think 10 officers could disarm a guy with a small knife without firing a single round. Discharging a fire arm should never be the response to this type of situation.

Front-line officers are not equipped with Tasers, because of current regulations. Only members of a tactics and rescue unit, or a front-line supervisor, can use Tasers. And they have to be "trained" to use Tasers. Yet most police officers are "trained" to use guns, which is considered to be more lethal.

Change the regulations so that front-line officers can have a choice. Let Tasers be the first choice in this situation. Don't let their guns be their only choice.
 
An officer with a taser was on scene. You can clearly hear it being used after the guy was shot 9 times. Why didn't they use it first?!!
 

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