Man stabbed to death in front of city-run supervised injection site

A man who was stabbed in front of a supervised injection site in downtown Toronto on Friday afternoon has died in hospital, Toronto police confirm.

Just before 2 p.m. emergency crews rushed to the scene in front of the The Works, a city-run supervised injection and harm reduction facility, located at 277 Victoria St. near Yonge-Dundas Square.

Paramedics could be seen administering chest compressions to the victim, who was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

Despite life-saving efforts, the victim was later pronounced dead at hospital.

In an update later Friday, Detective Aaron Akeson said two men became involved in a dispute in front of The Works, leading to the fatal attack.

Akeson couldn’t say if the victim and suspect knew each other. “I don’t know if it was random,” he said, adding that there is no indication that either the suspect or victim were inside The Works facility, which is run by Toronto Public Health.

The victim’s identity has not been released as police are still trying to notify his family.

STABBING: UPDATE
Victoria St/Dundas St E
***MEDIA SCRUM***
Det. Aaron Akeson, Homicide Investigator, will update media at the scene at 6:15 p.m., at the north side of Victoria and Dundas
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— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 12, 2023

The suspect is described as a male in his late 20s or early 30s with a light brown complexion. He’s around five foot ten and fled the scene on foot.

“We believe the suspect was in the area for some time leading up to this event and may have had interactions with other people in the area, so we are also appealing to those people to speak to us,” Akeson said.

“It appears that he was perhaps lingering in the area, speaking to different people, not necessarily in a confrontational manner.”