Toronto police give an update on a fatal ‘unprovoked’ stabbing at a plaza in North York on Thursday morning.
A woman in her 70s is dead in what Toronto police say was an “unprovoked” stabbing at a commercial plaza in North York Thursday morning.
It happened just after 9:30 a.m. near Parkway Forest Drive and Sheppard Avenue East, and police said the woman, who has not been identified, was grocery shopping in the area before the attack.
“From what we can tell, she was simply just getting her groceries and going to her car when she was attacked; there was nothing to indicate that anything led up to (the stabbing),” Duty Insp. Phil Sinclair told reporters at the scene.
The suspect is at large, but police say there is currently no threat to public safety.
North York stabbing Toronto police are investigating a stabbing at a commercial plaza in North York on July 17, 2025 that left a woman dead.
Sinclair described the suspect as a Black male, who is five-foot-five to five-foot-10 inches tall. He was wearing dark-coloured clothing and a balaclava at the time of the stabbing, Sinclair said, adding that he fled the area on foot.
It’s unknown if the suspect and victim are known to each other. Police say the incident was captured on surveillance video.
“We do understand this is a very deeply concerning incident. It happened during the daytime hours in a busy plaza, when many patrons were out simply just shopping, getting their groceries or different items in the plaza as well,” Sinclair said.
Sinclair emphasized that although police are not aware of any ongoing threat to public safety, he encouraged those in the area to be “aware” of their surroundings.
Police are asking anyone who was in the area at the time of the stabbing to contact them.
HOMICIDE:
Parkway Forest Dr. & Sheppard Ave. E. area
9:37 a.m.
-Officers responded to a stabbing in a commercial park lot
-Adult female located with stab wounds
-Transported to hospital via emerg run. Pronounced deceased
-Homicide & Missing Persons Unit investigating#GO1489034…
— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) July 17, 2025