A 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man have been charged in a series of violent, unprovoked attacks targeting vulnerable members of the city, including one that left a 62-year-old man dead, Toronto police said.
All of the attacks occurred over a two-and-a-half hour period on the morning of Aug. 31 in Toronto’s downtown core. None of the victims knew the suspects prior to the assault, police added, describing all of the attacks as “unprovoked.”
“All of these attacks were extremely violent and they targeted vulnerable members of our city,” Det.- Sgt. Stacey McCabe said at a news conference on Monday, adding that three of the five victims were experiencing homelessness at the time they were assaulted.
McCabe could not say why unhoused people were targeted but called the situation “concerning.”
The first assault, according to investigators, occurred at around 5:45 a.m. in the area of Yonge Street and Dundas Street West.
Police said a male victim was sitting on a bench when he was approached and violently attacked by a suspect who was armed with a hammer.
The victim managed to escape and flee the area, suffering “unknown injuries,” police added.
The second assault occurred minutes later, at 5:52 a.m., in the same area.
Police said a 70-year-old man was violently assaulted with a weapon. The suspects fled, police said, after the victim fell to the ground. The 70-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
As the suspects continued west on foot, they arrived at Nathan Phillips Square at around 6:08 a.m.
“It is here that they encountered a 62-year-old underhoused male sleeping on a bench. Unprovoked they began violently beating this male,” McCabe told reporters.
“Again, one of them (the suspects) was armed with a hammer.”
The man suffered serious injuries that ultimately led to his death days later on Sept. 4, police said.
Following the attack on the 62-year-old man, police said the suspects then headed to Gerrard and Yonge streets at around 6:25 a.m., where they robbed a 63-year-old man. According to investigators, the suspects grabbed the victim’s phone and when the victim tried to retrieve the device, he was pushed to the ground. The suspects fled the area and the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The final incident occurred near College and Yonge streets at around 8:07 a.m. Police said the suspects approached a male in the area and asked to used his phone. When he refused, police said, the suspects slapped the phone out of his hand and threw an object at him.
“Thanks to the keen eye of two young officers from 52 Division, the accused were arrested shortly after this final attack,” McCabe said.
Isaiah Byers, 20, of Toronto, and a 12-year-old boy, who cannot be identified as per the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, have each been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of robbery, two counts of assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault.
Police said that the two suspects were both on release orders at the time of their arrest.
Investigators noted that because police have not yet been able to notify the deceased’s next-of-kin, they are not releasing the victim’s identity.
Youth violence and gun crime an ‘incredibly concerning trend,’ says police chief
Speaking during a town hall meeting in York South-Weston on Monday night, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw said youth involved in violence and gun crime is an “incredibly concerning trend” seen in Toronto as of late.
“In my 35 years (of policing), I do not recall a time where we’ve seen this level of youth-involved crime and this level of a need for us to come together and truly find solutions with all of our partners in community safety and well being,” he said in his remarks.
“It really is a time for everyone to work together so that we can not only be safe, but also feel safe. Everyone should feel safe at home. Everyone should feel safe on public transit. Everyone should feel safe at school, in a library, in the park, wherever they go.”
Demkiw added that everyone has a role to play in solving this issue.
“This is something that everybody has a role to prevent and intervene on, whether it’s families, social services, schools, local agencies,” he said.
“And we do know from experience, every contact matters, one mentor, one coach, one community engagement, one family, engagement, any one of those can intervene and disrupt what has otherwise been some troubling trends.”
Demkiw said so far this year in Toronto police have seized more than 400 guns and have arrested more than a dozen youths in relation to homicides in the city, noting that just earlier today Toronto police held a news conference regarding another murder (in downtown Toronto) where a 12-year-old has been charged.
“The trend of youth being involved in serious crimes is something we cannot ignore. This is an issue that, I, in my role, and, we, as an organization, will continue to bring up with our counterparts, and importantly, with all levels of government and all stakeholders,” Demkiw said.
“Everybody needs to come together at this time and collaborate. It’s more important now than ever, as we see this rising and concerning trend of youth involved in gun crimes and very, very serious acts of violence.”
Demkiw added that he welcomes the opportunity to engage in dialog and work together with Torontonians to “find sustainable solutions to what is a very serious concern for us in our communities.”
Just last week, a 16-year-old boy was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of eight-year-old JahVai Roy, who was shot while sleeping in his bed in North York last month. Two suspects, both of whom were mnor at the time of the fatal shooting, remain outsnding.
Earlier this month, a 12-year-old boy was charged with attempted murder after a man was shot while sitting in a vehicle in his driveway in Markham back in August.
It’s a sitaution Deputy Chief Robert Johnson is calling “unbelievable.”
“This is really a call to action with all our community partners to make sure we find a way to intervene when young people are involved with these type of horrendous crimes,” he said during this morning’s news conference.
“We are obviously concerned with this trend.”
Police urging anyone with info to contact them
McCabe said police believe there may be more people who were approached by the suspects and are urging anyone who interacted with the suspects on the morning of the assaults to reach out to investigators.
