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Useless Toronto cops defend decision to let mansion invasion suspect walk out of hospital with gunshot wound even though they realized he was likely involved
Three armed intruders allegedly forced their way into a Toronto home, demanded valuables and injured four adults. Police are facing questions after a 23-year-old man they now suspect in the attack left hospital with a gunshot wound without being arrested.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw said officers lacked evidence at the time to detain Daijohn Richards, who is now wanted on a Canada-wide warrant. Police believe an accomplice may have shot him during the incident; the other two suspects have not been identified. The injured family members include a 75-year-old man, his 64-year-old wife and their daughters, aged 26 and 28.
In short
- A suspected home-invasion participant left hospital with a gunshot wound.
- Toronto police say they lacked grounds to arrest him at the time.
- Richards is now wanted on a Canada-wide warrant.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Police may have been right to let Richards leave if, at the time, they lacked evidence meeting the legal threshold for arrest or detention. Restraint protects people from being held on suspicion alone and helps preserve due process, even in a serious case; investigators can continue gathering evidence and seek a warrant once the grounds are sufficient.
The case against
The decision raises a legitimate concern that officers may have missed a time-sensitive chance to secure a suspect who was wounded in an attack that injured four people. If the circumstances already gave police reasonable grounds to connect him to the incident, failing to detain or closely monitor him could have hindered the investigation and undermined public confidence.
Explained simply
Toronto police are investigating an alleged armed robbery at a family home, where three intruders are reported to have demanded valuables and injured four people. Police say one of the suspected intruders, Daijohn Richards, was also shot during the incident; the other two suspects have not been identified.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw says officers did not have enough evidence at the time to hold Richards at hospital. He is now wanted on a Canada-wide warrant, and police believe one of his companions may have shot him. The case raises questions about how police assess whether they can detain a suspect while an investigation is under way.