Toronto police charge 12-year-old in stranger attack that killed senior
Toronto police have charged a 20-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy with second-degree murder in the death of a 62-year-old man.
Toronto police have charged a 20-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy with second-degree murder in the death of a 62-year-old man.
Investigators allege the incident is part of a series of unprovoked stranger attacks on vulnerable elderly people in the city’s downtown core. This marks Toronto’s 29th homicide of the year.
According to a Monday morning media release, the assaults unfolded on the morning of August 31 when, at 6:08 a.m., a 62-year-old man was attacked near Queen Street West and Bay Street.
He was seriously injured and later released from the hospital.
On September 4, the same individual was found without vital signs and died despite life-saving efforts. His name is being withheld as police have not yet notified his family.
“Early in this investigation, we learned that this homicide was part of a series of violent attacks that took place on the morning of August 31 in the downtown core,” said Det. Sgt. Stacey McCabe of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit.
“All these attacks targeted vulnerable members of our city,” McCabe continued, suggesting the unnamed victim may have been homeless or suffering from a disability.
McCabe said the killing was tied to a “series of violent attacks” that morning, all targeting “vulnerable” individuals.
In another case, a man sitting on a bench near Yonge and Dundas was assaulted with a weapon around 5:45 a.m. Minutes later, a 70-year-old man in the same area was attacked and hospitalized with serious injuries.
A third incident took place at Gerrard and Yonge, where a 63-year-old man was pushed to the ground after his phone was stolen. Shortly after 8 a.m., another victim suffered minor injuries after being assaulted near College and Yonge.
Isaiah Byers, 20, of Toronto, faces charges including second-degree murder, three counts of robbery, two counts of assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault. He appeared in court on September 8.
The 12-year-old boy, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces similar charges. He appeared in court on September 10.
Because his identity is shielded under provisions of the YCJA, the results of his bail hearing are unknown.