Toronto police chief defends handling of Bridle Path home invasion investigation

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw defended his officers on Monday, saying the department could not arrest a man who presented at a hospital with a gunshot wound because investigators did not have enough evidence at the time. The chief noted that initial reports of the early-Thursday home invasion on Hyde Park Circle did not indicate that any of the three suspects had been shot.

Demkiw told reporters, "I think what’s important to recognize is that the home invasion happens in the middle of the night and a short time, a very short time later, an individual shows up at hospital with a gunshot wound. What’s important to note, is that in the home invasion investigation, there is no information that suggested to investigators that an assailant had been shot. So, let me be very clear in that, the investigators in the middle of the night do not have information that an assailant had been shot during that home invasion."

The injured man was later identified as 23-year-old Daijohn Richards, one of three male suspects involved in the robbery. Richards was taken to St. Joseph’s Health Centre with a shoulder wound that police believe resulted from an accidental discharge by an accomplice. He is now subject to a Canada-wide warrant on multiple charges, including discharging a firearm with intent to wound and robbery with a firearm.

Demkiw acknowledged public frustration but reiterated that the evidence available did not meet the threshold for an arrest. "They [investigators] responded to the hospital as they would when people walk into the hospital with gunshot wounds, which happens in the city from time to time, and they advance the investigation … with the totality of the information that was becoming available in very real time," he said, adding that there had been no failure in the process.

The Toronto Police Service issued a statement over the weekend emphasizing that recognizing a potential suspect and having sufficient evidence to arrest are distinct steps, and that suspicion alone does not justify an arrest.

The incident left real-estate CEO David Morton, 75, and his two adult daughters hospitalized after being shot and beaten with a hammer. Morton's wife, Doriana Zohil-Morton, also sustained a hammer injury but has been released. The family described the attack as a traumatic breach of safety in their home.