Toronto police say a body discovered at University of Toronto on Thursday was an unhoused man laying on a bench and he was allegedly attacked, unprovoked, by a suspect using “debris.”
Det.-Sgt. Trevor Grieve, with the homicide unit, told reporters that the victim is 60-year-old Mario Ferreira.
Grieve said police have reviewed good quality surveillance video that shows Ferreira laying down on a bench on the University of Toronto campus grounds, located around Queen’s Park Crescent West and College Street.
He said the suspect appears to be walking nearby and “at some point, he arms himself with debris.”
“Whether or not that comes from a construction site or a dumpster in the area, that’s still to be determined, but he does arm himself with some debris and leaves that area,” Grieve said.
Without provocation, Grieve said the suspect allegedly approaches Ferreira and “uses that debris to assault him repeatedly and violently.”
“From what I can see on the surveillance, I do not see any sort of altercation that occurs between the victim and the suspect. And I am treating this as a completely random incident,” Grieve said.
Police were first called to the area at around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, but Grieve said a member of the public found the victim and alerted campus security who then called police. According to surveillance footage, the incident occurred a few hours before at 5:20 a.m.
Grieve said Ferreira was on the bench for “several hours” and “the victim is either lying down or sleeping at that point in time.”
An autopsy was conducted and Grieve said the cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma to his upper body.
Ferreira was not a student or employee of the university, police said.
Investigators have released images of the suspect wanted in connection with the homicide.
He is described as medium to large build, approximately 200 pounds, with a black beard and black hair in short dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a beige camouflage short sleeve shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a black and blue backpack.
“I can’t say this with enough vigor, the suspect should be considered armed and dangerous,” Grieve said, and cautions the public to call 911 if spotted.
Suspect photo.
Provided / Toronto Police