Toronto Police reported that in late April, a 47-year-old man was fatally shot with a handgun in the north of the city during the late evening hours.
This marks the seventh homicide in Toronto since the beginning of the year.
The victim has been identified as Daniel Stopnicki, a 47-year-old Jewish resident of Toronto and a technology lecturer. His family said he was shot while out walking his dog.
The suspect in the killing, who was arrested by Toronto Police and charged with second-degree murder, is Michaelo Markicevic, a 67-year-old former police officer.
Toronto Police have so far refrained from providing details about the motive for the murder, though a police spokesperson noted that it appears to have been a premeditated act.
Police also reported that last Thursday, an assault targeting Jewish residents in the northern part of the city is being investigated as a hate crime. According to reports, the attacker fired from a moving vehicle using an Orbeez toy gun, which shoots small water-filled gel pellets, at individuals who appeared visibly Jewish, causing minor injuries.
The B’nai Brith organization documented no fewer than 6,800 antisemitic incidents in Canada in 2025 - the highest number recorded since it began tracking such incidents in 1982. Compared to 2024, this represents a 9.4% increase, and a 145.6% rise compared to 2022.