A group of eight teenage girls, who are said to have met on social media, have been charged with murder over the stabbing of a homeless man in Toronto.
It is reported that the girls assaulted and stabbed the 59-year-old man in a square near the main rail station in the Canadian city early on Sunday morning.
Toronto police said emergency crews responded around 12.17am on Sunday to an assault in the area of York Street and University Avenue, reported Buzz.ie.
The victim, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital where he died a short time later.
He had been living in a shelter for the homeless at the time of the attack.
According to police, eight girls were arrested near where the attack happened.
Three of the girls are 13, three are 14 and two are 16, according to Det Sgt Terry Browne of Toronto police, who said it is believed the girls took part in a “swarming.”
He explained: ‘We can’t say with certainty, but our belief is that (the girls) were trying to remove a liquor bottle that he was in possession of.
‘The girls then allegedly assaulted and stabbed the man, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.
‘During the arrest, a number of weapons were also seized, which Browne described as sharp-edged but didn’t give further details.
‘The girls have been charged with second-degree murder. They appeared in court on Sunday, where they were remanded into custody, and are due again in court on 29 December.
‘Police believe the girls met on social media and none of their identities can be released under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).
‘I’ve been in policing for almost 35 years and you think you’ve seen it all,’ Det Sgt Browne said.
‘Anyone who isn’t shocked with hearing something like this has clearly just thrown in the towel and just said that anything is possible in this world.
Eight young girls and most under the age of 16. If this isn’t alarming and shocking to everyone, then we’re all in trouble quite frankly.
‘Maybe these were eight young women that wanted to make a name for themselves and see if they could become socially famous,’ he added.
‘They are all equally culpable. There is no doubt in our minds that they were all working as a singular entity in a swarming mob mentality when they chose to attack this man.
‘It appears to be just a random, isolated (incident). There was a potential target available and for whatever reason, they all decided to act in concert to remove an item from him, which led to this tragic event.’
