Toronto police chief to address how officers handle ‘emotionally disturbed’ people after Sammy Yatim shooting

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair will make a "major announcement" in relation to the use of force by the Toronto Police Service, and how the force responds to emotionally disturbed people.

A brief news release stated the announcement would come at 4 p.m., and it presumably comes in relation to the Sammy Yatim shooting.

Yatim was shot dead during a standoff with police two weeks ago while along on board a downtown streetcar.

[ More Brew: Ombudsman ‘grandstanding’ in Yatim case: union head ]

According to an Ontario Special Investigations statement, Yatim was armed with a small knife and was shot multiple times. A conductive energy device was also used.

Questions have raged about how police handled the standoff, and the province's ombudsman recently launched an investigation into the practices Ontario police use to de-escalate tense situations.

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