Misconduct charge against sergeant who Tasered Sammy Yatim withdrawn
A misconduct charge against a Toronto police sergeant who tasered Sammy Yatim as he lay dying of gunshot wounds has been withdrawn by a police disciplinary tribunal.
Sgt. Dusan Dan Pravica tasered Yatim, 18, shortly after he had been shot eight times by Const. James Forcillo on a streetcar on July 27, 2013.
On Tuesday, Insp. Shane Branton said the matter had been resolved "by alternative means that were amenable to both parties."
Pravica was not present at the hearing. His lawyer, Joanne Mulcahy, said he and Yatim had participated in mediation.
Joseph Figliomeni, lawyer for Sammy Yatim's father, told the tribunal that his client was "satisfied" by the outcome of that mediation, which was run though the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD.)
He said that the process "gave Mr. Yatim the opportunity to share his views with Sgt. Pravica in a dignified and respectful setting."
Figliomeni also said that the resolution of the complaint "marked a milestone for the Yatim family and their continuing efforts to refocus the police community's attention on revising their procedures with a view to minimizing the excessive use of force."
Police misconduct charge laid in 2017
The OIPRD had recommended the charge, which was laid in 2017.
Pravica wrote in his police notes from that night that Yatim tried to stand up and come forward after being shot, Crown prosecutor Milan Rupic pointed out in October 2015.
Most accounts agreed Yatim had remained still on the floor of the streetcar.
Yatim was shot after police were called to a streetcar where he had exposed himself and was brandishing a knife.
Forcillo, one of the first officers to arrive, fired three initial shots, which caused Yatim to fall to the floor of the streetcar, then fired six more shots.
Forcillo was convicted of attempted murder, and after a complicated journey through the legal system, is now serving out his sentence in jail.
