2nd-degree murder charge laid in killing of Mexican man in Toronto

A suspect is facing a second-degree murder charge in the killing of a Mexican man in Toronto, police say.

Toronto police said officers responded to the area of Bayview Avenue and Highway 401 at around 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 2 for a stabbing.

There was an altercation inside a home and the victim, identified as 46-year-old Juan Carlos Gomez Salgado of Mexico, was stabbed, police said.

He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died on Dec. 11.

The suspect fled the scene prior to officers arriving but returned and was arrested, police said.

Toronto resident Rigoberto Ulin Lopez, 35, was initially charged with assault, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.

After Salgado died, the charges were upgraded to second-degree murder and assault, police said.

Salgado’s death marks Toronto’s 69th homicide of 2023.