Police conduct back in spotlight after Toronto streetcar shooting

A video of Toronto police officers fatally shooting a knife-wielding man in an empty city streetcar has gone viral and raised questions about police protocol and behaviour.

The case surfaces as the Ontario coroner’s office delves into what role officers played in the deaths of three people, thought to be mentally ill, killed by Toronto police between 2010 and 2012.


In the latest case, early Saturday, witnesses said the suspect, Sammy Yatim, brandished a knife and exposed himself before ordering passengers and the driver off the streetcar as it approached Dundas Street West and Bellwoods Avenue.

The video, taken by a passerby, shows Mr. Yatim, 18, standing in the aisle near the front of the streetcar, its door open and interior lights on, as five police officers, four with weapons drawn, repeatedly order him to “drop the knife” over the wail of sirens.

When Mr. Yatim walks toward the door, nine gunshots ring out and he crumples out of view. As the sirens intensify, police close around the car and the sound of a taser can be heard

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