Ontario Ombudsman asks staff for case assessment in death of Sammy Yatim

Watch: Former police officer analyzes streetcar shooting video

TORONTO – Ontario’s Ombudsman has ordered his staff to conduct a case assessment in light of the public outcry regarding the Toronto police shooting death of Sammy Yatim.

Ontario’s watchdog office says the assessment will determine whether or not it will proceed with an investigation into the 18-year-old’s death and will be completed “as quickly as possible.”

Yatim was shot and killed aboard a TTC streetcar midnight Saturday after a confrontation with police.

A number of amateur videos capturing the incident have since been posted online.

“The Ministry has the power to set standards for Ontario police services,” Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin said in a media release. “The latest shooting by a Toronto Police officer raises the question of whether it is time for the Ministry to direct Ontario police services on how to de-escalate situations of conflict before they lead to the use of fatal force.”

The assessment will be done by the Special Ombudsman Response Team (SORT) which will look at the use of force and de-escalation procedures and guidelines given by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services to Ontario’s police services.

READ MORE: Toronto police officer being investigated in Sammy Yatim shooting identified

The media release states the Ombudsman’s case assessment “will not affect the ongoing investigation by the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU).”

According to the Ombudsman’s office, SORT was established in 2005 to handle major systemic investigations.