‘Very disturbing’: 12-year-old among 2 charged in Toronto homicide linked to violent attacks

Toronto police have arrested a 12-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man in connection with the city’s 29th homicide of the year — a disturbing case that investigators say is part of a string of violent, unprovoked attacks targeting vulnerable individuals in the downtown core.

The homicide victim, a 62-year-old man, was assaulted on the morning of Aug. 31 near Queen Street West and Bay Street. Police say the man was attacked with a hammer and later sought medical attention for serious injuries. He was released from the hospital but was found without vital signs on Sept. 4.

Despite life-saving efforts, he died at the scene. Due to ongoing efforts to notify next-of-kin, the victim’s identity has not been released.

At a press conference, Detective Sergeant Stacey McCabe revealed that the fatal assault was one of five separate attacks carried out in a span of just over two hours on Aug. 31. All incidents occurred in the vicinity of Yonge Street, and none of the victims were known to the suspects.

“It’s concerning that these young people would be targeting such vulnerable members of our city,” said McCabe. “This was a very disturbing crime spree.”

Timeline of alleged assaults (Aug. 31)

• 5:45 a.m. – A man seated on a bench near Yonge and Dundas was assaulted with a weapon. He escaped with unknown injuries.
• 5:52 a.m. – A 70-year-old man was attacked in the same area and hospitalized with serious injuries.
• 6:25 a.m. – A 63-year-old man was robbed of his phone near Gerrard and Yonge and pushed to the ground. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
• 8:07 a.m. – A man near College and Yonge was assaulted after attempting to walk away. He also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

“[At 5:45 a.m.] the accused approached an under-housed male and began violently beating him. One of the accused was armed with a hammer,” McCabe said of the first alleged attack.

Police arrested the suspects shortly after the final incident.

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 Sept. 8.

The 12-year-old male youth, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces similar charges: second-degree murder, four counts of robbery, two counts of assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault. He appeared in court on Sept. 10.

“All of these attacks were extremely violent,” said McCabe. “They targeted vulnerable members of our city. Through our investigation, we learned that more people may have been approached by the two accused on the morning of the attacks.”

Last week, Police Chief Myron Demkiw addressed the recent rise in violent crimes involving youth city-wide after two arrests were made in the tragic death of eight-year-old JahVai Roy.

“We have been raising the alarm for the last couple of years around the rise of violence among young people,” said Demkiw. “Over the last two years, we have seen a dramatic rise in young persons being arrested with illegal firearms. That is incredibly concerning.”

Investigators are urging anyone who may have witnessed the incidents or has security or dashcam footage from the downtown area between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4 to contact police.