Hundreds gather for Sammy Yatim funeral

WATCH: Yatim’s sister act people to take action, not vengeance at her brother’s funeral. Lama Nicolas reports.

TORONTO – The mother of the 18-year-old man shot and killed by Toronto police while on an empty streetcar held his hand throughout his funeral Thursday at a Toronto funeral home.

Sarah Yatim, Sammy Yatim’s sister, collapsed during the funeral. She had donned a t-shirt bearing his photo and the words “9 shots…?” for the funeral

“Please everybody, let’s be strong. Stop with the tears and start with the action,” she said. “He wasn’t the first to die this way but hopefully he can be the last.”

On Saturday, Toronto Police officers, surrounding the streetcar Sammy was on, fired nine shots at the teenager. It’s unclear how many struck him but security camera footage taken from a nearby business shows him falling to the ground after the initial burst of three shots. Six seconds later, six more shots were fired.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Sheppard Avenue funeral home for the teenager’s funeral Thursday morning. Joseph Nazar, a friend of the Yatim family, said dozens of strangers were at the funeral and Wednesday’s visitation to share their sympathies with the family.

“Sammy was taken away from us. Sammy never hurt anyone. Never hurt anyone,” Nazer said. “This guy was in a streetcar alone. He was no harm to anyone.”

Yatim moved to Canada from Syria four years ago at the urging of his mother who told Global News that she wanted a safer life for her son after war erupted in their country.

The sympathy for the family has been accompanied with anger directed at the Toronto police force since several videos emerged capturing the late-night shooting.

“This is unacceptable. You know, and we have to change all those ways those situations can be handled in the future,” Nazer said. “This is unacceptable for any member of this society here in Toronto.”

So far, two investigations have been launched. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) immediately launched an investigation following the shooting and Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has promised an internal review of the case within 30 days of the SIU completing their investigation.

Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin has also hinted that he may launch his own review.

Constable James Forcillo, a six-year veteran of the Toronto Police, has been named the “subject officer” of the SIU investigation and was suspended with pay.

While the investigations are ongoing and no charges have been laid, the public’s angst is evident with several Facebook groups popping up to advocate for charges to be laid against Forcillo.

A petition on Change.org, launched by Toronto-based talk-radio pundit and writer Tarek Fatah, calling for charges to be laid against the constable garnered 30,000 signatures in just 24 hours.

–        With files from The Canadian Press