Eight teenage girls have been charged with the murder of a 59-year-old man in Toronto, Canadian police say. The man, who has not been identified, had been living in a shelter for the homeless at the time of the attack. The victim, who had only recently moved into sheltered housing, later died in hospital.
The girls, aged between 13 and 16, are accused of stabbing the victim in what police describe as “a swarming” (1) just after midnight local time on Sunday.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said he was “deeply disturbed” by the case in a statement.
The girls, whose identities are protected under Canadian law, were arrested near the scene of the attack and a number of weapons were seized. They had met via social media and three of them had had previous contact with police, Detective Sergeant Terry Browne said. They were believed to have been involved in an earlier altercation the same evening, he added.
(1) That’s a menacing phrase but, in Canada, apparently, such crimes are not unknown:
12 teens charged in investigation of ‘swarming’ robberies at Canada’s Wonderland, surrounding area
Police have made several arrests following a rise in swarming-style robberies in Vaughan, during which victims were set upon groups of people.
York Regional Police announced the charges July 20 as part of a project the service calls Operation Beehave.
In June, officers responded to a “significant volume” of these types of robberies in the area of Jane Street and Norwood Avenue, at Canada’s Wonderland and nearby sidewalks and plazas.
In all incidents, victims said they were “swarmed and robbed” by a large group of young people in the evening hours.
Twelve youths, including two as young as 13, were arrested and charged with multiple offences including robbery, mischief and causing a disturbance.
