A Toronto police officer has pleaded not guilty to the shooting death of Sammy Yatim on a TTC streetcar.

Const. James Forcillo entered the not guilty pleas to the second-degree murder and attempted murder charges in a Toronto court on Wednesday.

The trial has been set for Oct. 13 and is expected to last eight weeks.

Yatim, 18, was shot several times during a confrontation with police on a streetcar on Dundas Street West, near Bathurst Street, on July 27, 2013.

Outside of court on Wednesday, Forcillo’s lawyer Peter Brauti said his client was looking forward to telling his side of the story.

“He just wants to start the trial … he hasn’t been able to tell his side of the story,” Brauti said.

“That’s what we’ve been asking for the entire time, for people to just take a breath, reserve their judgment, and wait.”

Mike McCormack, the president of the Toronto Police Association, also spoke to reporters.

“We’re here to support the process, we’re here to support our officer,” he said.

Brauti and McCormack were there for jury selection. McCormack said he was looking for someone who was “open-minded, who will judge the facts … without any preconceived ideas.”

It may be a lengthy process: By noon on Wednesday, the judge in the case had already dismissed one potential juror who said she heard details from an acquaintance in the Toronto Police Service.

Earlier this month, pretrial motions began in the case. The motions discussed at the time, including Crown and defence positions as well as trial strategies, are subject to a publication ban. There is also a ban on witnesses and questions that will be put to the jury to screen for bias.

The incident, which was captured on surveillance and cellphone videos, showed police firing multiple times at Yatim who was armed with a knife but alone on the streetcar.

Nine shots can be heard on the videos following shouts for Yatim to drop the knife. The final six appear to come after Yatim had already fallen to the floor of the streetcar.

The shooting death made headlines around the world and sparked fresh debate locally about police tactics.

Forcillo has been suspended without pay.