The chief executive of MAC Group has described a terrifying ordeal after armed intruders stormed his Toronto mansion, leaving him and two of his adult daughters with gunshot wounds as Canadian police search for three suspects.
David Morton sent a statement to Our News Outlet on Friday, about 36 hours after the home invasion. Morton, his two daughters and his wife all survived the attack, although the family suffered serious injuries.
In his statement, Morton said his family had endured a “terrifying and life-threatening experience” in the place where they should have felt safest: their own home.
“It is difficult to put into words the trauma of experiencing something so horrific in the one place where everyone should feel safest: their own home,” Morton said.
“No family should ever have to experience this,” he added. “People should be able to sleep peacefully in their homes without fear of armed individuals breaking in and threatening their lives.”
Morton said his family was deeply worried about rising violence linked to home invasions and about the safety of residents across Toronto.
Police are searching for three men believed to be about 20 years old. Investigators have warned that the suspects are considered “armed and dangerous.”
MAC Group CEO David Morton, 75, was shot during a home invasion at his Toronto residence at about 3.45am on Thursday
Morton’s 64-year-old wife, Doriana Zohli, and adult daughters Cristina Zohil-Morton (left) and Maggie Zohil-Morton (right) were also shot
The intruders entered Morton’s home in Toronto’s affluent Bridle Path neighborhood at about 3.40am Thursday, according to Toronto police.
Police said an altercation broke out after the men, who were carrying firearms and a hammer, forced their way through the rear of the property and demanded the family’s valuables.
Morton, 75, and his two daughters, Maggie and Cristina Zohil-Morton, both in their 20s, were shot during the invasion.
Morton and his wife, 64-year-old Doriana Zohil, were also struck with a hammer during the overnight attack. Zohil is president of the MAC Group.
The suspects fled in a dark SUV before officers arrived. Police have not said whether any property was taken.
Authorities reiterated Friday that the three suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.
The Mortons live in a seven-bathroom mansion valued at about $2.1 million, complete with a tennis court, in-ground pool and private gardens, the New York Post reported.
Toronto police released preliminary descriptions of the suspects on Friday. The first was described as a Black man, about 20 years old, with a thin build.
Police did not provide racial descriptions for the other two suspects, who were also believed to be around 20. One was described as thin, while no further physical description was available for the third.
All three men were wearing dark clothing and face coverings. Police urged anyone with information to help identify and locate them.
Toronto police said an altercation began after the three masked men demanded the family’s valuables, ending with Morton and his two adult daughters being shot
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Toronto Police Inspector Kristy Smith said at a news conference Thursday that all four family members were taken to hospital after the attack.
Two members of the family suffered “life-altering injuries,” Smith said, while the other two sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
She did not identify which family members suffered the most serious injuries, and authorities have released few additional details.
The family attempted to fight back against the intruders before the shooting and assault, according to a source cited by the Toronto Sun.
Morton and one daughter were reportedly shot in the leg, while his other daughter was shot in the arm, the outlet reported.
Security cameras had been installed throughout the multimillion-dollar property, and the footage has been handed over to investigators.
Even so, Smith said police had no information indicating that this specific home had been deliberately targeted.
“I’m not quite sure what their motives are at this time and whether or not they were in the area looking at other houses prior,” Smith said.
She noted, however, that Bridle Path is an affluent neighborhood where residents may have possessions that criminals want to steal.
Smith also said carjackings had declined in Toronto, while home invasions connected to attempts to steal vehicles were becoming more common.
Despite the concern, she stressed that residents should feel safe in their homes and said police were doing “everything that we can to identify, locate, and bring these suspects to criminal justice.”
Toronto Police Inspector Kristy Smith said violent home invasions had increased in affluent Toronto neighborhoods
Police said three masked men broke into the home; two were carrying handguns and the third had a hammer
Cecil Hawkins, a local resident, described the break-in and shooting as “mindboggling.”
“It’s a defenseless homeowner,” he told CTV News. “Why would they react that way?”
Hawkins said the woman who lived at the property was “a really lovely lady.”
“She is so community-minded, so pleasant, affable, with two daughters,” he said.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said Thursday on X that she was “deeply troubled” by the invasion and acknowledged that the violence had “understandably shaken the neighborhood and many residents across Toronto.”
Chow said residents should expect a heightened police presence in the area.
The Toronto Police Service told Our News Outlet on Friday afternoon that it had no further information to release.
