Majority agree Forcillo received a fair trial: Exclusive CityNews poll
Posted January 21, 2016 6:45 am.
Last Updated January 21, 2016 1:47 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The majority of Toronto residents believe police officer James Forcillo received a fair trial.
That’s according to an exclusive CityNews poll conducted by Forum Research.
About 57 per cent of adults in the city say Forcillo had a fair trial in the shooting death of Sammy Yatim.
Just 15 per cent of adults disagree, and this opinion is more common among those aged 55 to 64 (22 per cent), Doug Ford voters (21 per cent), those who trust the police (21 per cent), and among those who disapprove of charging Forcillo with murder (43 per cent).
“It is among Forcillo’s supporters that the belief he hasn’t received a fair trial is strongest, and also among those who trust police in general,” Forum Research President Dr. Lorne Bozinoff said.
“There is a culture of loyalty at work here among those who uphold the law and those who support them.”
Forum Research spoke to 546 randomly selected voters in Toronto on Monday. The results are considered accurate by a margin of plus or minus four per cent, 19 times out of 20.
What do you think? Vote in our poll:
Forcillo has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and attempted murder in the death of 18-year-old Yatim.
The jury has heard that on a night in July 2013, Yatim had taken the drug ecstasy before boarding a streetcar where he pulled out a small knife, prompting panicked passengers to rush off the vehicle.
Videos and audio played at the trial have shown that Forcillo arrived on the scene, yelled repeatedly at Yatim to drop the knife, and after a 50-second confrontation fired nine bullets at the teen.
