Man stabbed to death downtown
Police seek group of men after fatal stabbing at Nuit Blanche
A night of free art and revelry took a tragic turn for a 19-year-old man, who was stabbed to death in downtown Toronto early Sunday morning amid the lights and crowds of the annual Nuit Blanche festival.
Police have yet to name the victim, who was fatally stabbed outside the Opera House (Four Seasons Cen- tre), near Richmond and York Sts., at around 2 a.m. Friends have identified him on social media as Rameez Khalid, who is being remembered as “the funny guy” who was “taken too soon.” Homicide Det. Scott Whittemore said police are seeking a group of five or six young men, who appear to have had a “very short” confrontation with the victim and his friend. Police believe the same two groups were involved in an earlier altercation at an impromptu rave around the corner, at the foot of the Adam Beck monument on University Ave. and Queen St. W. Whittemore could not confirm what prompted the scuffle, but said, “We think it was just maybe bravado.” He said about 300 people were gathered at the “unsanctioned rave,” which was not officially part of Nuit Blanche, at the time. Christian Poulsen, who organized Saturday’s pop-up rave, which was set up at the busy intersection at 11 p.m., did not witness an altercation. But he said other attendees asked a group of young men to leave the area when they started fighting.
“They didn’t want anything to happen at the party and ruin the vibe,” Poulsen said. “People are just there to have fun. Nobody is in confrontation mode.”
Poulsen said police asked him to shut down the party, which he has thrown for many years at different locations during Nuit Blanche, shortly before 4 a.m., so they could secure the crime scene.
By Sunday afternoon, the site of the stabbing was clear, but the area around the monument on University Ave. remained cordoned off with police tape. Forensic investigators gathered evidence from the site, which was strewn with plastic bottles, an overturned umbrella and other garbage.
Whittemore said police have obtained video surveillance footage from surrounding hotels, but the throngs of people on the streets has made it difficult to nail down a “clean description” of the suspects.
“We’re looking for anyone that may have taped the incident to give us a call, or any of the taxi drivers that may have picked up the five or six males that jumped in,” he said. “There were just so many damn people out there last night.”
The stabbing was Toronto’s 48th homicide this year.
Anastasia Saradoc, a City of Toronto spokeswoman for Nuit Blanche, declined to comment on the incident citing the “ongoing police investigation.” Poulsen said he was concerned it would cast a pall over the annual event, which has been running since 2006.
“I’m really upset that kind of thing is going to end up being a dark shadow on Nuit Blanche’s reputation, because it’s such a great night,” he said.
Danielle Morgan had just come out of an exhibit and was walking along Richmond St. when she saw emergency crews performing CPR on the stabbing victim.
“I never feel unsafe in my city, so it was quite upsetting to see,” she said. “I hope that those unfortunate events don’t affect how people feel about coming out to Nuit Blanche.”
Police also reported another stabbing at Yonge and Dundas Sts., during Nuit Blanche, shortly after 12:30 a.m. A man was transported to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. With files from Jodee Brown