Toronto police have charged a third person with second-degree murder in connection with a hit and run that killed a 32-year-old man in North York last week. The new charge marks a further step in an investigation into a death that police say grew out of a violent confrontation on a Toronto street.
According to police, officers were called to a fight near Keele and Wilson at around 6 a.m. on June 14. The early-morning disturbance set the stage for the deadly encounter, drawing emergency responders to the scene as the situation turned fatal.
Police say the brawl broke out after an argument. During the confrontation, 32-year-old Eric Safar was assaulted and then struck by a vehicle. He later died at the scene, turning what began as a dispute into a homicide case.
The death has prompted a series of arrests as investigators work to identify everyone involved. The latest development is the second-degree murder charge against a third person, indicating that police believe more than one individual played a role in the events that led to Safar's death.
In the most recent arrest, police say they took a 25-year-old woman into custody after she turned herself in. Her decision to come forward added another accused to a case that authorities continue to build around the fatal confrontation.
The combination of an assault and a vehicle being used to strike the victim is central to how police have framed the case. It is that sequence, police say, that escalated a street fight into a death and shaped the serious charges now being brought against those accused.
With a third person now charged, the investigation into the North York hit and run continues. Police have laid out the basic timeline of the June 14 confrontation, even as the case moves through the courts and questions remain about exactly how the argument spiraled into deadly violence.