Friday, April 21, 2006

Bloodshed continues in Toronto

Dispute over a TTC ticket appears to have precipitated the city’s latest murder. A 17-year-old student of Downsview Secondary School was found stabbed to death at about 3:30pm Thursday outside a strip mall coffee shop at Wilson Ave. and Keele St. The youth, who’d reportedly been stabbed in the back more than once, was pronounced dead a short time later at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Investigators hope surveillance video from the strip mall, a well-known student hangout, will help lead them to the young man’s killers." Any life (lost) is tragic but when we start to get into young persons in their teens and early 20s, they have their whole life ahead of them and it's a tragic situation," said Toronto Police Insp. Tom McIlhone. At least one male suspect is being sought following the attack, which some believe began when the victim refused to hand over his bus ticket to a group of teens. He was reportedly then swarmed and stabbed before his attackers fled on a Wilson St. bus.It’s the city’s 17th murder of the year. No names have been released. Police interviewed people at the scene but believe some witnesses may have left following the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).