The officer involved in the shooting of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim on a Toronto streetcar early Saturday morning has been suspended, according to multiplemediareports.
Yatim was shot on the empty streetcar after brandishing a knife in front of officers and yelling insults. Police told Yatim to drop the knife before shooting at him multiple times. He later died from his injuries.
Video of the incident has gone viral and prompted outrage.
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said Monday the force will do its utmost to get to the bottom of what happened.
The officer in question will continue to receive his salary, according to CBC.
More from The Canadian Press: TORONTO — Toronto police say an officer involved in the deadly shooting of a young man on a city streetcar over the weekend has been suspended.
Sammy Yatim, 18, was killed early Saturday morning following an altercation with police — an incident that has caused public outrage.
Ontario's Special Investigations Unit is probing the incident, which was captured on video.
Chief Bill Blair says police will conduct a thorough investigation to find out how and why the young man was killed.
Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash says the officer involved in the shooting has been suspended with pay.
A police union representative says the officer is "devastated" and overwhelmed by the magnitude of what happened.
A march is underway in Toronto this evening that calls for justice for Yatim and an end to what organizers call police violence.
Also on HuffPost
