Toronto police are facing growing scrutiny after allowing a suspected home-invasion gunman to leave a hospital, despite later determining he was likely connected to the attack.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw told residents Monday that there had been “no failure” in the investigation. His comments came after Daijohn Richards, 23, arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound shortly after the assault but was not arrested.
Officers responded Thursday to reports of a violent break-in at a luxury home near Hyde Park Circle and Post Road. Police say three armed suspects, carrying handguns and a hammer, forced their way into the multimillion-dollar residence.
Investigators allege the intruders demanded valuables before attacking four adults: 75-year-old David Morton, 64-year-old Doriana Zohil-Morton and their daughters, who are 26 and 28.
Richards later sought treatment at St. Joseph’s Health Centre for a serious shoulder injury. Police believe he may have been accidentally shot by one of the other suspects, but he was not taken into custody.
Richards remains at large and is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant. The charges include four counts of discharging a firearm with intent to wound, four counts of robbery with a firearm, three counts of aggravated assault, break and enter with intent to commit an indictable offence in a dwelling-house, possession of a prohibited device and disguise with intent.
The identities of the other two suspects have not been released.
Inspector Kristy Smith said at a Saturday news conference that officers spoke with Richards on Thursday but did not have sufficient information to arrest him before he was discharged from hospital later that morning.
Toronto police are under mounting pressure to explain how a suspected gunman was able to leave hospital and remain at liberty after officers encountered him with a gunshot wound just hours after a violent home invasion that injured an entire family
Police later identified 23-year-old Daijohn Richards as a suspect, but continue to defend their decision not to arrest him when he arrived at St. Joseph’s Health Centre with a serious shoulder injury. He is now the subject of a Canada-wide warrant
The alleged home invasion took place Thursday at a residence near Hyde Park Circle and Post Road. Police say three armed intruders entered the property carrying handguns and a hammer
The suspects allegedly demanded valuables before assaulting four adults inside the home: 75-year-old CEO David Morton, his 64-year-old wife, Doriana Zohil-Morton, and their daughters, aged 26 and 28. Morton, the chief executive of THE MAC Group, remains hospitalized with his daughters, Maggie Zohil-Morton, 26, and Cristina Zohil-Morton, 28
Chief Demkiw reinforced Smith’s account Monday, saying police had no evidence that any suspect was shot at the home during the invasion.
“We were very, very clear: we are following the evidence as it becomes available,” he said. “Had there been evidence to allow us to do something different, that’s what would have happened.”
The explanation is unlikely to end questions about how a man now believed to have played a role in such a violent attack was able to leave hospital without being detained.
Demkiw said he understood why the case had alarmed the public, pointing to the “brazen, terrible nature” of the incident and the expectation that people should feel secure inside their own homes.
“It does rock our sense of safety and security when our homes are violated,” he said. “I can assure Torontonians that there will be no resource spared and no stone left unturned.”
“Some of the work that has to happen does take time and these things don’t always line up perfectly for us the way we would like or the way they sometimes appear on TV,” Demkiw added. “The nature of what’s unfolding continues to be very, very dynamic and very, very active.”
The chief also rejected suggestions that investigators had acted incompetently, describing the team handling the case as “the best in the business.”
“Had I been a victim of this horrible set of circumstances, these are precisely the people I would want chasing and apprehending the offenders and bringing them to justice,” he said. “I have complete confidence in their abilities.”
In the hours after the invasion, Richards arrived at St. Joseph’s Health Centre with a deep shoulder wound. Investigators suspect he was accidentally shot by an accomplice during the attack. Despite the circumstances surrounding the injury, he was not detained and was released later that morning
Morton, the 75-year-old CEO of THE MAC Group, remains in hospital with his two daughters, Maggie Zohil-Morton, 26, and Cristina Zohil-Morton, 28, who are pictured
Demkiw said he understood the community’s alarm, acknowledging that the “brazen, terrible nature” of the invasion had shaken residents’ confidence in the safety of their homes
The family, meanwhile, is confronting the physical injuries and emotional trauma left by an attack that turned their home into the site of a terrifying ordeal.
David Morton, 75, the CEO of THE MAC Group, remains hospitalized alongside his two daughters.
Morton’s wife, Doriana Zohil-Morton, was also hit with a hammer but was the only family member who was not shot. She has since been released from hospital.
On Friday, David Morton issued a statement on behalf of the family.
“What should have been the safety and security of our own home became a terrifying and life-threatening experience,” he wrote.
“During the attack, three members of our family were shot and are currently recovering in hospital. All four members of our family were also attacked with a hammer, leaving everyone injured and requiring emergency medical attention.”
“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.”
Our News Outlet has contacted the Morton family and the Toronto Police Department for comment.
