Cops forced to explain why home invasion suspect walked free from hospital after allegedly terrorizing CEO and his family in their $2.1m mansion
Toronto police are searching for 23-year-old Daijohn Richards, suspected of taking part in an armed home invasion at the mansion of property executive David Morton and his family. Police have had to explain why Richards left hospital without being arrested, after he arrived with a gunshot wound and officers questioned him.
Police said they recognised a possible link to the invasion but did not yet have enough evidence to meet the legal threshold for arrest. Detectives later connected Richards to the case through forensic work and neighbourhood inquiries, but he had already been discharged; a Canada-wide warrant has since been issued. The attack took place shortly after 3.30am, and Morton, his wife and their two adult daughters were injured.
In short
- Police say there was not yet enough evidence to arrest Richards at hospital.
- Detectives later linked him to the home invasion.
- A Canada-wide warrant has been issued.
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The case for
Police may have had sound legal and evidential reasons not to arrest Richards at the hospital: suspicion, even alongside a gunshot wound and a possible link to the invasion, is not by itself enough to justify detention. Waiting for forensic and other corroboration respects the presumption of innocence and helps prevent wrongful arrests; the later warrant shows investigators acted once they say the evidence supported it.
The case against
Given the seriousness of the invasion and the possibility that a wounded hospital patient was connected to it, police should have taken every lawful step to preserve public safety and prevent a suspect from leaving before inquiries were complete. Even if the evidence did not yet justify arrest, critics can reasonably ask whether officers could have maintained closer observation, sought urgent legal guidance or coordinated follow-up more quickly, and whether the case exposed a gap in procedure.
Explained simply
A home invasion is a break-in while people are at home, often involving threats or violence. In this case, police suspect Daijohn Richards was involved in an armed attack on property executive David Morton, his wife and their two adult daughters at their Toronto home.
Police may arrest someone only when they have enough evidence to meet the legal threshold. Officers questioned Richards at hospital after he arrived with a gunshot wound, but said they did not yet have enough evidence to arrest him; later forensic work and neighbourhood inquiries linked him to the case.
The case raises questions about how police assess evidence and manage investigations when a suspect is receiving medical care. A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for Richards, and police are searching for him.
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