Eight Canadian girls are facing charges after police say they stabbed a man to death in Toronto in what appears to be a dispute over alcohol.
According to Toronto Police Operations, the incident happened around 12:17 a.m. on December 18 at York Street and University Avenue in downtown Toronto; police responded to the scene after receiving called concerning an unresponsive man who had been stabbed.
Locals called the victim “Kenney” and said he was in his 50s. Police have not officially identified him yet.
Residents of the Strathcona Hotel, where the victim once lived, described him as a friendly and generous man who was homeless at the time of the incident. Police said he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition following the attack, where he was pronounced dead.
On early Sunday morning, police announced the arrest of several teenagers allegedly involved in the attack, which may have happened when they saw the victim carrying alcohol. They were arrested near the crime scene, BBC reports.
According to police, the suspects “swarmed” the man, and a “back and forth” attack ensued.
“The actual incident, proper, lasted almost three minutes long,” Toronto Police Detective Sergeant Terry Browne said. “So, walked away, walked toward, walked away, walked toward.”
Brown added that the teens were from different parts of the city, and it’s unclear why they met up on the night in question. Investigators believe that the group of girls may have also been in other altercations that night.
“They’re all young offenders,” a police source told The Toronto Sun. “They attacked this guy like a bunch of wild animals. He tried to fight them off and they just kept coming back. He was just minding his own business, he wasn’t bothering a soul.”
The suspects have been charged with second-degree murder. The investigation is ongoing.
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