Toronto police officer charged with murder of Sammy Yatim freed on bail

WATCH: Toronto police officer charged with Sammy Yatim murder is free on bail. Lama Nicolas reports. 

TORONTO – Constable James Forcillo, charged with second-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim, has been granted bail.

Forcillo will be freed on $510,000 bail.  A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for September 30. He must remain in the province.

On Monday, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) charged Forcillo with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Yatim, who was shot multiple times while brandishing a knife aboard an empty TTC streetcar on Dundas Street West.

Speaking to the media soon after Forcillo was granted bail, his lawyer Peter Brauti said Forcillo is in a “very sombre mood” and will be going home Tuesday afternoon.

WATCH: Constable James Forcillo leaves a Toronto courtroom after being freed on bail. 

“He’s going to walk through the front door of the court house,” Brauti said. “He’s not going to run or hide, he’s going to walk out the front door.”

He added that while Forcillo is “not hiding” from the media, he will not be answering any questions.

Brauti also asked the public to not rush to judgment and said while he couldn’t speak about the details of the case, some are “much different” than what the media is reporting.

Several amateur videos captured by witnesses to the July shooting show several police officers surrounding the empty streetcar on Dundas Street West. Three gunshots can be heard in the videos, followed by a six seconds pause before another six shots are heard.

The shooting sparked anger among Torontonians which boiled over into 30,000 signing a petition to calling for charges to be laid and hundreds of others marching through Toronto. On July 29, two days after the fatal shooting, hundreds of people marched from Yonge/Dundas Square to the spot of the shooting on Dundas Street West where a moment of silence and a memorial was built for Sammy. Protesters then continued their march to Toronto Police Services’ 14 Division where Forcillo worked.

The Yatim family is expected to hold a press conference Wednesday afternoon where they will take questions about the shooting and ensuing investigation.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Yatim family said they hope the SIU investigation will continue looking at the actions of Toronto’s police officers.

“Over 20 uniformed police officers were present and no one stepped forward to stop the gun shots or offer any mediation,” the statement read.