• A 59-year-old man was killed in Toronto, according to Canadian police.
• Eight adolescent girls have been charged with murder.
• Police recovered firearms near the scene of the assault.

A 59-year-old man was killed in Toronto, according to Canadian police, and eight adolescent girls have been charged.

Just after midnight local time on Sunday, the victim was allegedly stabbed by the girls, who range in age from 13 to 16, in what police refer to as “a swarming.”

The attacker was a man who was residing in a homeless shelter at the time of the attack; he has not been identified.

The situation “seriously disturbs” Toronto Mayor John Tory, according to a statement.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday, a group of onlookers saw a man suffering from stab wounds. They then called medical services, Toronto Police Detective Sergeant Terry Browne told reporters.

The victim, who had only lately moved into sheltered housing, passed away later in a hospital.

A number of firearms were recovered as well as the girls, whose identities are protected by Canadian law, who were detained close to the scene of the assault.

According to Detective Sergeant Terry Browne, three of them had previously interacted with police and they had met through social media.

We have no idea how or why they connected that evening or why they chose to travel to downtown Toronto.

He continued, “It was thought that they had been in a fight earlier that evening.”

According to Toronto Media, a resident of a nearby homeless shelter, the victim was stabbed in the stomach after attempting to defend her when the females approached her for booze.

“I didn’t know if they had a knife or what. I was just scared,” she said, explaining how she walked away from the attackers and sought refuge in the shelter.

“I am extremely troubled by the young age of those accused and by the number of people allegedly involved in this murder,” Mayor Tory said.

“My thoughts are with this man’s friends and all those who knew him as they mourn his loss,” he added.

Also Read

Toronto subway stabbing kills woman, injures another

The event happened at Bloor Street West and High Park Avenue. John...