Toronto police name 23-year-old suspect in Bridle Path home invasion
Police have identified one of three attackers in the Bridle Path home invasion as 23-year-old Daijohn Richards, who was treated for an accidental gunshot wound and remains at large.
Toronto police have identified a 23-year-old man as one of three suspects in the Thursday home invasion of a house in the Bridle Path neighbourhood. The suspect, Daijohn Richards, was treated for a gunshot wound that police say was inflicted accidentally by another attacker during the incident. He was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon, and police developed additional evidence later that evening, but he has not been re-detained and remains at large.
Inspector Kristy Smith of the Toronto Police Hold-Up Squad said the suspect was described as armed and dangerous and is now wanted on multiple charges, including four counts of discharging a firearm with intent to wound, four counts of robbery with a firearm, and three counts of aggravated assault. The other two suspects have not been identified.
The invasion, which occurred around 3 a.m. on Thursday, involved three masked gunmen entering the residence on Hyde Park Circle and demanding valuables. Three members of the family of four were shot; one, 75-year-old real-estate executive David Morton, released a statement thanking the public for support and describing the event as traumatic.
"What should have been the safety and security of our own home became a terrifying and life-threatening experience," Morton said.
"We have identified one of the suspects involved in this home invasion shooting and we are asking for the public’s collective assistance in locating him," Inspector Smith added.
"Richards was shot in the right shoulder and may be favoring that side of his body," she explained.
Police noted that hospital protocols require notification when gunshot victims arrive, allowing officers to interact with the suspect, but legal limits prevented an immediate arrest. Investigators said forensic and detective work produced the new evidence after the suspect had already left the hospital.
The family, which includes Morton's wife Doriana Zohil-Morton and their two adult daughters, has requested privacy while some victims remain hospitalized.