Man arrested in violent, homophobic attack at Toronto Island
A man has been arrested in connection with a violent, homophobic assault on Toronto Island that left a man with significant injuries earlier this month, Toronto police say.
Twenty-four-year-old Elijah McGibbon, from Toronto, faces an aggravated assault charge after the June 5 attack near Hanlan’s Point.
According to police, the incident happened at the ferry docks on the Island at around 11:30 p.m.
A 24-year-old man, identified by CTV News Toronto as David Gomez, and a 27-year-old woman were walking to the ferry docks when they became involved in a disagreement with a group of people, police said.
Investigators said a man from the group made homophobic comments towards the victims and a woman grabbed one of the victims.
Then two men from the group assaulted Gomez by punching and kicking him, leaving him with significant injuries, according to police.
Toronto police’s hate crime unit is supporting the investigation.
In a social media post after the incident, Gomez said he was called homophobic names and was “knocked unconscious, and nearly beat to death.”
A week after the incident, Gomez told CTV News Toronto that he was still in a lot of pain and struggling to go outside.
“I’m scared to leave my home,” he told CTV News Toronto on Monday. “It’s been several days since. I only go to and from the hospital now.”
Shortly after the incident, several social media posts surfaced online linking an Ottawa Redblacks player to the attack.
The Canadian Football League confirmed that Redblacks defensive linemen Chris Larsen was suspended following “allegations of an assault by a group of individuals” and a pending Toronto police investigation.
On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Redblacks confirmed to CTV News Toronto that Larsen is still suspended.
Police said the investigation is still ongoing.
“I want to make it clear that while we have successfully charged someone for their alleged involvement in this assault, our investigation does not stop here,” Det. Const. Lauren Hassard said in a statement.
“This is a complex case and we still encourage witnesses to come forward. In particular, we want to speak to two women who we believe were in the area at the time and are described as white, in their 20s and with brown hair,” she added.
June is Pride Month in Toronto but Pride Toronto’s Executive Director said the incident is a stark reminder that more needs to be done to raise awareness about the discrimination and homophobia 2SLGBTQ+ communities continue to face.
“It is very disheartening that in 2021 we’re still facing this sort of attack. Yesterday and the day before our social media, our phone calls were ringing off the hook, just individuals not feeling safe,” Sherwin Modeste told CTV News Toronto on June 9.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Beth Macdonell and Katherine DeClerq
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.