Toronto police say a 38-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder after his father was fatally stabbed in the city’s financial district late Wednesday.
Duty Insp. Darren Alldrit said officers were called to the area of King Street and University Avenue at 10:40 p.m. for reports of a group of people fighting.
When officers arrived at the scene, police say they found a man who had been stabbed. The victim, who officers later identified as Thomas Denney, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police closed off part of the area around King Street and University Avenue for the investigation, but it was reopened by early Thursday morning.
Alldrit said officers searched the area after the stabbing and arrested a suspect.
Police announced Thursday evening that James Rushton was charged with second-degree murder. Global News later learned that Rushton was Denney’s son.
According to court documents obtained by Global News, Rushton was charged with assault causing bodily harm involving his father in May 2017. In November 2017, he was given credit for 200 days pre-trial custody and two years probation which he breached three times.
In 2006, Rushton also pleaded guilty to manslaughter in relation to a suspicious death investigation from April 2005 when a homeless man was found dead near the Rogers Centre. Rushton was sentenced to 5 years and six months in jail as a result.
Anyone with information on Wednesday’s stabbing is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
— With files from Nick Westoll and Catherine McDonald