toronto stabbing victim

Outpouring of support for Toronto man stabbed to death in broad daylight

The grieving family and friends of a man killed in a daylight stabbing on Friday are being met with an outpouring of support from the public.

Police responded to reports of a stabbing in the Markham Road and Lawrence Ave East area at 12:22 p.m. on Friday, June 30.

The victim, 30-year-old Maxim Karyakin of Toronto, was stabbed once in the chest, treated for life-saving measures on-scene, and transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he was ultimately pronounced deceased.

On Saturday, one of the victim's loved ones shared a heartfelt message on Twitter that has been met with a flood of well-wishes and condolences from the public.

Vicky Hammond's post has been viewed almost one million times, as of writing, with over 800 retweets and hundreds of replies.

Several commenters offered messages of support during the family's difficult time.

Hammond posted the tweet on Saturday evening, and was clearly overcome by the support from the public the following morning.

A suspect, 56-year-old Davy Balan, of Toronto, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder two days after the stabbing on Sunday, July 2, and was scheduled to appear in court later that morning.

Police are appealing to the public seeking witnesses who were in the area of the stabbing on Friday between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m, including drivers who may have dashcam video that could have captured the stabbing or related events.

Lead photo by

@HappyAVicky


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