Suspect charged with manslaughter in connection with death at Toronto warming centre

Toronto police investigators say a 25-year-old man has been charged with manslaughter after a man was assaulted outside a downtown warming centre in February.

On Feb. 27 at around 1:30 a.m., emergency crews were dispatched to a warming centre on Elizabeth Street, behind city hall, after receiving reports a man approached a group of people outside the facility and got into an altercation.

Officers said the man was unprovoked when he hit the 50-year-old victim’s head, which caused him to fall down.

Paramedics took the victim, later identified as Gregory Lawrie, to a Toronto hospital where he later died.

The suspect, who officers identified as Taylor Harker, was later arrested by police and charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, failure to comply with a release order, possessing a device while prohibited, breach of probation and two counts of obstructing a peace officer.

In an update on the investigation released Saturday morning, officers said the accused had one of his charges upgraded to manslaughter “as a result of the autopsy.” Investigators didn’t release further information.

Harker appeared in a downtown Toronto court on Thursday. The allegations against the accused haven’t been proven in court.