Authorities have identified Ken Lee, as the unhoused man in Toronto, Canada, who was killed during a random attack last month. According to The Guardian, police believe a group of eight teenage girls ages 13-16 killed Lee.
BBC reports the 59-year-old was stabbed on December 18 near a plaza at Toronto’s central rail station. The girls likely attacked Lee because they wanted to steal alcohol from him.
A woman told CBC that Lee was actually defending her from the girls because they were attempting to steal her alcohol. She said Lee was stabbed while protecting her.
“Bleeding, bleeding, bleeding. I didn’t know if they had a knife or what. I was just scared,” she told CBC. “I think they stabbed his belly.”
Bystanders notified the paramedics who transported Lee to the hospital. He died shortly after. The girls are currently facing second-degree murder charges. Police believe the girls who allegedly killed him met each other online.
“I wouldn’t describe them as a gang at this point, but what [is] alleged to have occurred that evening would be consistent with what we traditionally call a swarming,” Det Sgt Terry Browne of Toronto’s homicide unit said, according to The Guardian.
According to BBC, Lee’s family described him as “a beloved son, brother, and uncle.” Lee had also recently been living in a homeless shelter and was loved by the community there.
“People called him Kenny,” Doug Johnson Hatlem, a pastor who works with the unhoused community in Toronto, told BBC. “He was known to be very gentle and kind.”
Lee’s name has been added to the Toronto Homeless Memorial near the city center. A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help his family pay for funeral expenses.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
We are supported through donations and such charitable organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. December 3 is Giving Tuesday. Will you consider a tax-deductible donation to Asian American Media Inc and AsAmNews?
Please follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X.
