Former Toronto police officer James Forcillo, who was sentenced to six years in prison for the attempted murder of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim, was granted full parole Friday, according to a decision released Tuesday by the Parole Board of Canada.

Forcillo, 37, was granted day parole in August 2019 and was allowed to move to a halfway house. He became eligible for full parole this month.

The board found that he did not breach any of his release conditions while on day parole and has transitioned well to community living, with strong family and community support.

“This is to your credit and reflective of an offender with high levels of motivation, accountability and reintegration potential,” the board wrote in the decision, which was based on a paper review of Forcillo’s file.

Forcillo is currently in a full-time college program, where he is training to become an electrician. He was assessed by a psychologist as one of his day parole release conditions, and was found not to require ongoing treatment.

Ed Upenieks, the lawyer representing Bill Yatim, Sammy’s father, said the family is unhappy they weren’t given advance notice of the parole decision. The first they learned of it was from a reporter calling for comment.

“A family in a situation like this shouldn’t be finding out from the media,” Upenieks said.

“Why was the family in the dark?” he asked, adding that Bill Yatim has completed the registration forms with the parole board to ensure he was notified.

“He is upset — he’s upset at the result but he’s very upset about the lack of notice. This shouldn’t happen.”

Upenieks also took issue with the fact that Yatim is referred to as “the victim” throughout the decision, and not by name.

In the decision to grant Forcillo full parole, the board wrote that it “is cognizant that (Forcillo’s) actions took the life of a much-loved son, brother, and member of the community. His loss continues to devastate his family.”

The board said Forcillo has acknowledged the trauma he caused, and that he is considered a low risk for re-offending.

“With the benefit of counselling, you now understand that your own fear, impulsivity, and stress contributed to your poor decision-making, poor problem-solving, and resulted in fatal consequences. As a result, you are now more cautious of the impact of your decisions and are better able to consider the consequences of your actions,” the board wrote.

“It is the board’s opinion that you will not present an undue risk to society if released and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen.”

Forcillo will continue to be banned from contacting the Yatim family.

In 2016, a jury convicted Forcillo of the attempted murder for shooting Yatim while he lay on the floor of an empty streetcar in downtown Toronto. Although Yatim was killed in the July 27, 2013 shooting, Forcillo was acquitted of the more serious charge of second-degree murder.

The unusual verdict stemmed from a finding that Forcillo had fired two distinct volleys of shots at Yatim less than a minute after the officer arrived at the scene — a burst of three shots followed 5.5 seconds later by another six shots.

Forcillo fired the first three shots at Yatim as the teen held a small knife, fatally wounding him and shattering his spine. This round of shots, on which the second-degree murder charge was based, was found to be a justified use of force.

Forcillo then fired six more times while Yatim lay partially paralyzed but still alive on the streetcar floor. Yatim picked up the knife but his body never lifted off the floor. He did not pose an imminent threat and no efforts were made to communicate with him, the trial judge found in his reasons for sentencing. “The shooting of Mr. Yatim was unnecessary and unreasonable and excessive from the outset of the second volley,” he said.

An inquest into Yatim’s death was announced last year but has not yet been scheduled.

Forcillo began serving his six-year sentence in November 2017 after he was arrested for violating the conditions of his bail pending appeal. Forcillo later pleaded guilty to perjury for lying in a court affidavit, resulting in another six months being added to his sentence.

Like almost all offenders serving sentences of more than two years, Forcillo became eligible for full parole after serving one-third of his six-year and six month sentence. He became eligible for day parole six months prior to that.

Timeline

July 27, 2013: Const. James Forcillo shoots 18-year-old Sammy Yatim eight times as the teen stood on an empty Dundas streetcar holding a small knife. Cellphone videos of the shooting, which happened just after midnight, prompted questions about police use of force protocols and their response to people in crisis.

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Aug. 12, 2013: Toronto police chief Bill Blair orders a review of police use of force against mentally ill and emotionally disturbed people.

Aug. 19, 2013: Forcillo is charged with second-degree murder.

July 24, 2014: The Toronto police use of force review, conducted by former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci, is released with 84 recommendations.

July 30, 2014: Forcillo is charged with attempted murder.

Oct. 20, 2015: Forcillo’s jury trial begins on charges of second-degree murder and attempted murder.

Jan. 25, 2016: After deliberating for 35 hours, a jury found Forcillo not guilty of second-degree murder but guilty of attempted murder.

July 28, 2016: Forcillo is sentenced to six years in prison for attempted murder with a firearm, one year longer than the mandatory minimum of five years. He is granted bail the next day while he awaits the outcome of an appeal.

Nov. 29, 2017: Forcillo’s bail is revoked after he breaches his bail conditions. He starts serving his six-year prison sentence.

April 30, 2018: The Ontario Court of Appeal upholds Forcillo’s conviction and sentence.

May 21, 2018: Forcillo pleads guilty to perjury for lying in an affidavit submitted for a request to vary his bail conditions so he could move in with a new surety, his girlfriend. He said in the affidavit that he had complied with his bail conditions, but in fact had already moved in with her. He was sentenced to six months on top of the six-year sentence he was already serving.

Sept. 4, 2018: Forcillo resigns as a police officer.

Dec. 6, 2018: The Supreme Court of Canada denies Forcillo leave to appeal the Court of Appeal decision.

July 23, 2019: A disciplinary charge against Sgt. Dusan Pravica, who Tasered Yatim while he lay dying on the streetcar floor, was withdrawn after closed-door mediation.

July 31, 2019: An inquest is announced into Yatim’s death. A date has not yet been set.

Aug. 15, 2019: Forcillo is granted day parole after a hearing at the Joyceville prison. He became eligible for day parole in July 2019.

Jan. 17, 2020: Forcillo is granted full parole.