A Toronto police officer who gunned down a troubled teen on an empty streetcar three years ago abused his authority in a way that undermines public trust in law enforcement and the justice system, a judge said Thursday in sentencing him to six years in prison.
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The sentence was immediately appealed by the policeman’s lawyer Peter Breault.
Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said Forcillo has been suspended without pay. Forcillo faces potential sanctions from the Toronto Police Service Tribunal as well.
Forcillo was convicted of attempted murder in the 2013 death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim.
Members of Yatim’s family hugged each other and supporters as court was dismissed Thursday following the sentencing.
“He destroyed our family, he will destroy our lives”, Bahadi said.
“The last three years have been hard for everyone involved, including the families of Sammy Yatim and James Forcillo”.
“I think that’s what the public would expect us to do in the aftermath of incidents like this”.
A complicating factor is the Criminal Code section stating that attempted murder with a firearm is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of four years – five years if the firearm is restricted.
Forcillo’s defence team is asking the court for a sentence of house arrest while the Crown is seeking eight to ten years in prison. Yatim goads police while officers yell, “Drop your knife!”
Prosecutors said the mandatory minimum is meant to apply to everyone and argues that police officers shouldn’t get special treatment.
In a letter Then, Irina Forcillo said her husband is “the one whose goal has always been to protect”. Justice Edward Them, the judge in the case, however, found this “unreasonable”.
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Forcillo has been out on bail ever since being charged in the July 2013 shooting.
