Police identify 16-year-old boy as victim of fatal, ‘unprovoked’ stabbing at Toronto subway station

Toronto police identified a 16-year-old boy as the victim of an “unprovoked” stabbing at a subway station Saturday evening.

In a news release Sunday, police said officers responded to a stabbing call at the TTC’s Keele subway station just before 9 p.m.

Gabriel Magalhaes of Toronto was sitting on a bench in the lower level of the station when he was approached by a man, the release said.

“The suspect approached the victim and stabbed him, unprovoked,” police wrote.

Police said Magalhaes was transported to hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Jordan O’Brien-Tobin, 22, of no fixed address, was arrested following the stabbing, police said. 

He was charged with first-degree murder and was set to appear in court Sunday.

Magalhaes’s death marks Toronto’s 12th homicide this year.

The TTC issued a statement describing the stabbing as a “terrible incident” and extending condolences to the teen victim’s friends and family.

“Like everyone, we are concerned and saddened by this attack and we take incidents like these extremely seriously,” spokesperson Milly Bernal said in a statement. “The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority, and we will continue to work with Toronto Police Services as they investigate.”

Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie also said her thoughts were with Magalhaes’ family and friends, adding she hopes the individual responsible will face justice.

“The TTC has to be a safe place for all riders and transit workers  — we can accept nothing less,” McKelvie said in a statement. 

“I support the work the TTC, Toronto police and city staff are doing to implement additional safety measures funded by Toronto City Council in the 2023 budget including the hiring of 50 new special constables.”

TTC, police respond to violence

The fatal stabbing is the latest in a string of high-profile acts of violence on the TTC targeting transit riders and workers. In the past year, victims have been pushed onto subway tracks, lit on fire, shot at with BB guns, stabbed, swarmed and otherwise assaulted. 

Toronto isn’t the only city facing rising violence on its transit system. In January, the Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, which represents 35,000 transit workers, called for a national task force involving all levels of government to tackle violence on public transit systems across the country.

WATCH: CBC’s Andrew Chang examines whether more police officers make public transit safer:

Feb. 7, 2023 | Toronto police will increase their presence on city transit in response to recent violent incidents. Many say it won’t fix the problem. CBC News’s Katie Nicholson talks to Andrew Chang about what a hidden camera investigation revealed.

Toronto police announced in mid-March that they were ending extra patrols on city transit that had been introduced to respond to the rise in violence.

Police had announced in late January that more than 80 officers working overtime shifts would patrol various locations on the TTC. But not everyone welcomed the move, saying an increased police presence wouldn’t make up for a lack of social supports and seemingly fewer services like shelters and housing.

The TTC has said it has an action plan to prevent assaults. The plan includes:

• Increased presence of special constables throughout the TTC network.
• More Streets to Homes workers to provide support and outreach for unhoused people.
• Increased presence of maintenance and transportation managers, who will rotate through the subway network during peak service to ensure safety and reliability of service.
• Increased vehicle cleaning during peak hours to maintain a clean environment.
• Ongoing work with the city and police to increase community support and improve incident response through short and long-term plans.
• Monitoring of statistics by special constables to identify issues.