A 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man are facing several charges, including second-degree murder, in connection with 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 three-and-a-half hour period on the morning of Aug. 31 in Toronto’s downtown core, police said. 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 with a weapon.
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.
A 62-year-old man was attacked with a weapon near Queen and Bay streets at around 6:08 a.m. and suffered serious injuries that ultimately led to his death days later, police said.
The man had been treated in hospital but was released, police said, and on Sept. 4, he was found without vital signs and pronounced dead.
Investigators said they determined that the man died from injuries he sustained during the attack.
This image provided by the Toronto Police Service shows the location of a series of violent robberies that took place in downtown Toronto on the morning of Aug. 31.
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 when the man began to walk away, one of the suspects assaulted him. The suspects fled the scene but were arrested a short time later, police 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 been charged with second-degree murder, three counts of robbery, two counts of assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault.
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.