Ken Lee, 59, identified as victim of alleged 'swarming' attack by teen girls in Toronto

Police have identified a man killed in an alleged "swarming" attack by eight teenage girls in Toronto last month as Ken Lee.

Lee, 59, was pronounced dead in hospital after he was allegedly beaten and stabbed by the group of girls outside a downtown shelter in the early morning hours of Dec. 18, 2022. 

Investigators said at the time they were working to notify Lee's next of kin of his death. Lee was from Toronto, police said in a news release Tuesday.

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.

A friend of Lee's who saw his alleged attack told CBC Toronto the girls had tried to take a liquor bottle from her and Lee had tried to stop them. The lead detective on the case later confirmed that police believe there was an attempted theft — "likely of a liquor bottle" — during the initial phase of the deadly encounter.

The attack happened at about 12:15 a.m. local time, near the corner of York Street and University Avenue, just steps from Union Station. 

Det.-Sgt. Terry Browne said in December that police chose to charge all of the teens with second-degree murder because each girl "played a role" in the slaying.

"All eight were together. All eight were involved," he said. "I won't say what each one individually did, but all eight were together and participating in this event, which is disturbing."

He described the attack as a "swarming," which normally involves selecting a target to victimize.