A 66-year-old man from London, Ont., who was critically injured over the weekend when police allege he was intentionally set on fire during an altercation is the father of the accused, court documents suggest.
Emergency crews found a man engulfed in flame when they were called about an altercation in the area of Thompson Road and Jacqueline Street around 5:15 p.m. Saturday.
The fire was extinguished and the man was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. He remained in critical condition as of Tuesday.
The disturbing incident was captured on video by the rider of a nearby bus and posted to Facebook, though it was taken down soon afterwards.
The since-removed post accompanying the video alleged the victim had something poured on him before the fire began. London police would not confirm the details.
Police have charged Kristifor Jiva Radovanovici, 33, with attempted murder in connection with the case.
Court documents obtained by 980 CFPL show the 66-year-old victim and the accused share the same last name, and separate court documents in an unrelated matter from earlier this year suggest they are father and son.
Police allege they seized a knife and ammunition from the accused. As a result, Radovanovici was also charged with two counts of breach of probation and six counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order.
According to court documents, the accused was bound by two probation orders, one from this year and one dating from 2019, not to possess any weapons as defined under the Criminal Code.
Radovanovici appeared in court on Monday for the charges and was remanded into custody. He will appear again on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old is no stranger to the legal system.
According to court records, he has more than four dozen closed files at London’s courthouse for unspecified charges dating back several years, along with two open files that are both from this year, one of which is Saturday’s alleged attempted murder.
The other open file, which dates from March, is related to Radovanovici being charged with two counts of failure to comply with a release order, documents show.
The charges allege that the accused failed to comply with orders that he remain in his home 24/7, with exceptions, and that he not possess any weapons as defined under the Criminal Code, excluding knives for the preparation of food.
It’s not clear in the documents what prior matter led to the release orders being issued.
Radovanovici was issued a summons to appear in court for the two counts, the documents show. According to an attached affidavit, the summons was delivered to the 33-year-old’s residence and left with his father.
The name listed in the affidavit as being Radovanovici’s father is the same one identified in court documents as being the victim of Saturday’s incident.
In addition, a court file for a man with the same name as the victim, dated from 2007, lists the same home address as that seen in court documents for the 33-year-old accused.
Anyone with information about Saturday’s investigation is asked to contact police at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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