Eight teenage girls in Canada were charged with second-degree murder on Tuesday after police say they swarmed a 59-year-old man and stabbed him to death.
Three of the girls were 13, three were 14, and the two others were 16, police in Toronto said. A motive for the killing was not immediately released, nor was the victim’s identity. Police found the man stabbed on Sunday, and he was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to a hospital.
Detective Sgt. Terry Browne of the Toronto Police Service Homicide Unit said at a news conference on Tuesday that three of the girls had prior contact with local authorities but did not go into more details.
Authorities are unclear on how or why the group of girls gathered in person on Saturday, but know that they came from different parts of the city and all met on social media, Browne said. Police believe the stabbing happened early Sunday morning and the girls may have been involved in another altercation hours beforehand.
Browne wouldn't describe the group of girls as gang members but said the behavior was consistent with “swarming” in which multiple attackers target victims at the same time.
Browne told the Associated Press that he thinks the girls were trying to take a bottle of alcohol from the man.
“I’ve been in policing for almost 35 years and you think you’ve seen it all,” he said.
The group of girls are scheduled to reappear in court on Dec. 29, Browne said.