A man accused in “Unreasonable,” fatal attack an 89-year-old woman in downtown Toronto had wanted by the police on an outstanding warrant stemming from an alleged assault in 2020, court documents show.
Ryan Cuneen37, wanted by toronto police After failing to appear in court for allegedly assaulting another man in February 2020, according to court documents.
The documents do not include any further details, but a bench warrant was issued for his arrest in May 2021. That charge of assault is still before the court.
Kunene has now been charged with murder in the death of an 89-year-old woman who was allegedly pushed to the ground and died from her injuries.
According to Toronto Police, the woman was walking on a sidewalk near Yonge Street and King Street East in Toronto’s financial district shortly after 11:30 a.m. last Friday when the “unprovoked” attack occurred.
“She was pushed to the ground. She suffered serious injuries to her head and facial area,” Toronto Police Insp. Craig Young told reporters after the attack.
“She was just walking along the sidewalk.”
The victim was declared dead on the spot. Global News is not identifying the victim, pending notification of next of kin by police.
Police said the suspect fled the scene but was later arrested “without incident”.
The boarded-up window of a Subway restaurant is seen on January 24, 2023.
Brittany Rosen/Global News
According to court documents, prior to the fatal attack, the suspect is accused of throwing a brick through the window of a Subway restaurant in the Church Street and Front Street East area.
Police said Tuesday that Kunnin was originally charged with aggravated assault, but now faces a murder charge. He is also charged with mischief under $5,000.
Kunnin, who appeared in the court on Tuesday via video from jail, was representing herself. He is to appear in court on Wednesday.
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Toronto Mayor John Tory called the incident an example of “what appears to be a random violent attack on an innocent person in our city”.
“While the facts of this specific case have not been determined and have not been made public, we all know that we need to make every effort to determine the root causes of such acts,” he said in a statement. said in.
And while the mayor called on both the province and Ottawa to invest in more mental health and addictions treatment, the incident came amid criticism around $50 million increase in Toronto’s police budget passed earlier this month.
Critics have said that the money should go to less community services to tackle issues such as poverty, mental health and unemployment.
Seven councilors said of the increase, priority should be given to investment in social services.
“Decades of research and evidence have shown that increasing police spending without simultaneously investing in social and community infrastructure does not make our communities safer,” the councilors said.
With a file by Samira Balsara
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