Sammy Yatim was struck by eight bullets while confronting police on an empty TTC streetcar, the Star has confirmed, in a case that has prompted an internal police review that may never be made public.

A source told the Star that eight of nine shots heard in a bystander's video actually struck the 18-year-old just after midnight on July 27 — news that “distressed” his grieving family Thursday. Yatim was shot and then Tasered by police as he held a small knife. He later died in hospital.

Const. James Forcillo was charged with second-degree murder Monday and was released on $510,000 bail Tuesday. He remains suspended with pay.

On Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Yatim family said their first indication about how many shots actually struck Sammy came through the media.

“They are upset and most distressed by this news, as none of this information had been previously disclosed to the family,” Rania Walker wrote in an email, adding that the family had not received a coroner's report.

“They are unclear about how this information has come to light, or if there is any truth to it.”

The coroner's office told the Star on Thursday the investigation is not yet complete, meaning a report has not been released. Spokeswoman Laura Blondeau could not say when the investigation would be concluded. She said the results of a post-mortem are only given to the family and investigators, in this case the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

Chief Bill Blair's internal review, which will cover the scope of the entire incident as mandated by the Police Services Act, could shed light on what happened that night and whether his officers responded appropriately. But it may be kept secret from the public.

The SIU also refused to comment Thursday as its investigation remains open, which is standard until a disposition has been made in criminal proceedings.

“As the matter is now before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the charged officer and the community, the SIU will make no further comment pertaining to this investigation,” said spokeswoman Monica Hudon.

Since Yatim's death, public outrage has boiled over regarding police use of force, as Yatim's family, friends and strangers have called for justice.

Several videos of the incident have been made public — including surveillance and cellphone videos — which when viewed together appear to show Yatim falling to the floor of the streetcar within the first three shots. Then after a short pause, six more shots are heard while Yatim is seen on the ground. Shortly after, a second supervisor officer arrives and Tasers the teen.

This marks only the second case in which an on-duty Toronto officer has been charged with second-degree murder. The first was that of Emergency Task Force officer Const. David Cavanagh, in a 2010 incident. Cavanagh's case was dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing earlier this year, but the Crown has appealed to have Cavanagh face a manslaughter charge, and a decision on the appeal is expected by Sept. 1.

The Police Services Act says a chief of police has 30 days to report to the police board on a fatal incident involving officers, after the SIU reports its final results to the Attorney General. The board then “may make the chief of police's report available to the public.”

Toronto Police Services Board chair Alok Mukherjee said he could not predict whether Blair's review would be made public, as the board hasn't seen a report yet.

“Generally, in accordance with the act, matters concerning individual conduct and discipline are kept confidential,” Mukherjee said. The only exception to that is if Police Services Act disciplinary charges are laid, he said.

Blair can direct an investigation into the involvement of other officers even as criminal proceedings against Forcillo continue. If warranted, he can lay Police Services Act charges against those officers — which would be public. Any other internal discipline would not be made public.

Earlier this month, Blair announced retired Ontario associate chief justice Dennis O'Connor had been appointed to conduct a review of policies — specifically concerning use-of-force policies and dealing with emotionally disturbed persons. Such a review is also required by the act, although appointing an outside authority is an unusual step.

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That review, which Blair said could be finished by the end of the year, is something he and Mukherjee have both committed to making public. But that report won't deal specifically with the shooting, what happened on the night of July 27 or the conduct of the officers.

Officers are trained to shoot as many times as necessary to subdue a perceived threat, said former Toronto Police use-of-force trainer Mark Valois. He said what happened in the video, which shows Yatim already on the ground when multiple shots are fired, is difficult for the average citizen to comprehend. Why that happened, he said, is something only Forcillo can answer.

“The optics are horrible,” Valois said. “He's the one that's going to have to answer why he shot nine times.”