The brutal killing of three people in Scarborough Village and the discovery of suspicious package at a downtown condo building are connected, Toronto Police confirmed.
Shortly before 1 p.m., police and paramedics were called to what was initially reported as a stabbing near Lawndale and Argo roads in Scarborough.
According to Det. Sgt. Mike Carbone, officers located the “lifeless bodies of three individuals” on scene and took one person into custody.
One other person was injured as a result of the incident. Paramedics initially described the victim’s injuries as minor but police later confirmed they are serious in nature.
The victim, believed to be a male, is currently in hospital.
Meanwhile, a condo building near the city’s waterfront was evacuated sometime after 3 p.m. after a suspicious package was discovered.
The package was located at 218 Queen’s Quay, near Lower Simcoe Street, prompting an evacuation of the building.
At a brief news conference from the scene in Scarborough, Det. Sgt. Mike Carbone confirmed that the two incidents are linked.
“There is a link to that other crime scene at Queen’s Quay. My understanding to date is that it has been cleared at this point,” Carbone said Thursday afternoon. “We will follow up with the officers at 14 Division. If that information becomes relevant and there is a reason to release information to the media we will make it available at that time.”
It was not immediately clear how the two scenes are connected.
According to Det. Const. Hopkinson, a daycare centre located on the lower level of the condo building was also issued a shelter-in-place order.
A tweet by Toronto Police indicated that parents would be escorted into the daycare by officers to pick up their children.
Queens Quay was closed from Lower Simcoe Street to York Street for several hours as police conducted an investigation. Roads in the area have since reopened.
Witnesses described hearing screaming
One neighbour at the scene in Scarborough Village said that he heard screaming before the bodies were discovered.
“I didn’t hear any words, but they were just screaming in pain or (because) he’s sort of aggressive or something like that,” Jerome Cruz said. “Then I heard another middle aged man coming toward that screaming person and telling him to be calm, be quiet, things like that. Then I saw a lady coming out of the house running towards them.”
Detectives with the homicide unit are investigating.
