Toronto police officer faces additional charge in case of teen shot on streetcar

TORONTO – A Toronto police officer is facing an additional charge in relation to the shooting death of a teenager on a streetcar last summer, as his lawyers hope for a trial late next year.

Const. James Forcillo already faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim.

Now the Crown has filed a new indictment and Forcillo has also been charged with attempted murder “by shooting (Yatim) with a firearm and thereby wounding him.”

The reasons for the additional charge may be related to evidence from the preliminary inquiry, which is covered by a publication ban.

One of Forcillo’s lawyers, Lawrence Gridin, appeared in court Wednesday on Forcillo’s behalf and set Sept. 22 as a date for a judicial pre-trial, which is a closed case conference between lawyers and the judge.

Yatim was shot and killed on an empty streetcar on July 27, 2013 — an incident captured on surveillance and cellphone video on which nine shots can be heard following shouted commands to drop a knife.

Gridin said he is hoping to set a trial date for as soon as possible, but it likely won’t take place until the fall of 2015 at the earliest.