A 51-year-old woman who operated a downtown halfway house died following a stabbing attack that Toronto police are still trying to understand.
Police were called to a townhouse on 13 Homewood Avenue near Jarvis Street and Wellesley Street East around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
“I heard screaming, and then the girl in the kitchen starts crying,” resident David Costa told reporters.
The woman was taken to St. Michael's hospital where she was pronounced dead. As of Wednesday evening, police had not identified the victim.
An autopsy will be conducted in the coming days.
Police arrested a 46-year-old man soon after they arrived on scene. However, as of Wednesday evening, he had not been formally charged.
“I heard the police come in, and they told the guy to get on the ground and all that,” said resident Derek Harper. “Next thing I know, they’re getting us out of here and putting us on the bus.”
The incident happened in a halfway house that caters to people with special emotional and medical needs.
Police say they will not reveal further details until the woman's family is notified.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God -- what a nice lady,” resident Simon Simmons said. “Why would anybody hurt her?”
Others called her kind, helpful and very well liked.
Det. John Biggestaff of the Toronto Police homicide unit told reporters: “It’s still very early in the investigation. We’re trying to make a determination as to what the motive was, why it was that this took place.”
Some residents told CTV Toronto that they thought the manager’s job was dangerous because she sometimes had to deal with people who didn’t take the medications that controlled their psychiatric problems.
With a report from CTV Toronto’s Jim Junkin
