Changes are being made in front-line police work in the province of Ontario following the fatal shooting of a teenager last month in Toronto that prompted fierce debate about the use of force.
Eighteen-year-old Sammy Yatim died after being shot multiple times and hit with a stun gun, or Taser, by police during a confrontation on an empty streetcar in July.
A Toronto police officer, Constable James Forcillo, faces second degree murder charges in the incident. He is currently free on bail awaiting trail.
Following the incident, Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur said the government would conduct a use of force review to examine officer training, equipment and how use of force incidents are reported.
On Tuesday, Ms. Meilleur announced that Ontario’s front-line police will be now be allowed to expand the use of Tasers. Ontario had restricted the weapons to a select few supervising and specialized officers, setting the province apart from several other provinces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association responded to the announcement, saying that expanding stun gun use is not the right approach. It said a better method would be more police training on de-escalation techniques and how best to deal with emotionally disturbed people.
Mr. Yatim died after being shot multiple times at about midnight on July 27. Eyewitness videos showed nine shots were fired–three initially, followed by an additional six about five seconds later. About 30 seconds later, with Mr. Yatim lying on his back, a Taser was deployed.
Mr. Yatim was holding a knife on the empty streetcar at the time of the shooting. Passengers on the streetcar prior to the shooting said Mr. Yatim exposed himself, pulled out a knife and acted aggressively towards other passengers. At that point, the driver stopped the vehicle. Passenges then passengers fled to the street, leaving Mr. Yatim alone.
About a dozen police officers were called to the scene and surrounded the streetcar before shots were fired. Only Const. Forcillo was investigated by the Toronto’s Special Investigations Unit.
Ms. Meilleur said the Yatim shooting did not play a role in Tuesday’s decision, saying it had been in the works for months.
A Taser uses high-voltage electrical shock–up to 50,000 volts–to penetrate barriers such as clothing followed by a lower voltage stimulation pulse to cause neuromuscular incapacitation.
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