Man arrested in fatal, unprovoked attack on unhoused man near U of T

Toronto police say one person has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of an unhoused man, who was allegedly killed in an unprovoked attack near the University of Toronto's downtown campus Thursday morning.

Just before 8:30 a.m., police responded to a call from school security, Det. Sgt. Trevor Grieve told reporters at a news conference Friday. A man had been located on the ground with visible injuries in the area of Queen's Park Crescent and College Street, he said.

Campus security attempted life-saving measures, Grieve said, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim has been identified as Mario Ferreira, 60, of Toronto. Ferreira's next of kin have been informed of the incident, Grieve said.

A post-mortem exam Friday found the cause of death was blunt force trauma, Grieve said. Homicide investigators are looking into the death, which Grieve said was the result of a random attack.

On Friday afternoon, police provided an update saying 31-year-old Adimabua Chukwuka of Toronto had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Ferreira's death.

Police say video of area shows unprovoked attack

Police have obtained and reviewed video footage from the area, Grieve said, which showed an unprovoked attack by an unknown suspect at approximately 5:20 a.m., three hours before it was reported to police. None of that video has been released to the public.

Grieve said video showed Ferreira was lying on a bench near 6 Queen's Park Cres. at the time, possibly sleeping. The video then captured another man in the area walking toward the bench with unidentified "debris" in his hand, Grieve said.

"Without any warning or provocation, the suspect approaches Mr. Ferreira, who's lying on the bench, and he uses that debris to assault him repeatedly and violently," Grieve said.

The man, since identified as Chukwuka, then fled the area on foot, Grieve said. A tip from the public lead to Chukwuka's arrest Friday afternoon, police said in a news release.

Investigators are asking anyone with more information, or who has video of the area from the time of the incident, to come forward.

Ferreira's death marks the fifth homicide in Toronto so far this year.