Family of man killed in alleged Toronto 'swarming' attack breaks silence

The family of a man killed in an alleged "swarming" attack by eight teenage girls in Toronto last month is speaking out for the first time since his death.

With the pain of his loss still raw, a statement sent on behalf of the family says they are not ready to open up in depth about their loved one, Ken Lee.

"Just note that Ken was a kind soul with a heart of gold. He was not in the system due to alcohol or drug abuse. He was a man with pride who had fallen and wanted to learn to stand up on his own knowing that he always had his family behind him," says the statement by Lee's brother-in-law, Eric Shum.

"Maybe in due time we will share more with you."

Lee, 59, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was allegedly beaten and stabbed by a group of girls outside a downtown shelter in the early morning hours of Dec. 18, 2022. The attack began after the girls allegedly took a liquor bottle from the victim and his friend, a witness previously told CBC Toronto. 

That witness, a friend of Lee's whom CBC Toronto has agreed not to name because she belongs to a vulnerable community, said she was smoking a cigarette with Lee outside a downtown shelter early that day, when the group of teens approached them and attempted to take her alcohol. 

Lee, she said, told the girls to leave the two of them alone.

"He protected me," she said. 

All eight girls, who range in age from 13 to 16 years old, were charged with second-degree murder. One was granted bail in late December, while the rest have bail hearings scheduled for later this month.

Their identities are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

In its statement, the family pointed to what it perceived as "flaws" in the act that it says protects the accused rather than victims or the public.

"How is the Act protecting the public if we don't know who these perpetrators are and why they are released on bail?" 

"For serious crimes, these perpetrators should not have any privacy rights or bail. The public should be aware of who these individuals are to protect themselves."

The comments from Lee's family come as a group of media organizations awaits a judge's decision to access court documents in the case. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the media is required to request access to the court file from a youth court judge. Those documents include basic information including the ages of the accused, which of them has been granted bail, and even court file numbers that have so far been inaccessible to media covering the case.