East-end homicide victim identified as 48-year-old Toronto man

Toronto Police have identified the victim of Sunday morning’s homicide as 48-year-old Robert Joseph Walker of Toronto.

Officers were called to a Scarborough apartment building at Queen St. E. and Blantyre Avenue for a stabbing on Sunday just before 3 a.m. They say he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident has shaken many residents within the building, including Aaron Russell, who has started a petition to install security cameras in his building.

“In a situation like this where someone is coming in and killing someone, having their face on camera might not be a bad idea,” said Russell, who has already started collecting his neighbours’ signatures.

Alan Burke, president of the East Beach Community Association, says the incident is unexpected, as the neighbourhood is a “very well-established residential community” with “a lot of families.”

“It’s highly unusual for … someone to be murdered at 3 o’clock … early on a Sunday morning in this neighbourhood,” Burke said.

The area’s councillor, Gary Crawford, says the area is an “incredibly safe part of the city.”

“We do what we can when we’re working with the police, trying to ensure that we keep the neighbourhood as safe as possible,” said Crawford, who presides over Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest.

Michael Sapienza lives in the building and says he isn’t worried that the homicide happened so close to home. “I figure if someone is going to do something like that then they’re probably not going to come back around,” he said.

Police have not yet tracked down a suspect, and they’re asking anyone with information about this case to contact police by calling 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Anyone can submit a tip online at www.222tips.com or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).