27-year-old mechanic stabbed to death in East York, suspect sought

Ahmed Hassan Asif was fatally stabbed Wednesday night in East York. Police are now investigating and searching for a suspect who fled on foot.

Toronto police say a 27-year-old auto mechanic has been identified as the victim of a deadly stabbing in East York late Wednesday night.

According to investigators, Ahmed Hassan Asif was stabbed shortly after 9:30 p.m. in the area of Gamble and Donlands avenues.

Speaking to reporters at the scene on Thursday, Toronto Police homicide Det.-Sgt. Sajeev Nair said officers first responded to the area for an unknown trouble call.

“Information was received that there was some sort of altercation and lots of yelling was heard,” Nair said.

The victim was found outside at the rear of a low-rise residential building suffering from stab wounds, the homicide detective confirmed. The suspect was seen fleeing the area on foot, Nair said.

Life-saving measures were performed, but Asif was pronounced dead at the scene.

“I can tell you that he was a hard-working young man,” Nair said of the victim.

“He was an auto mechanic by trade and he was very much loved by his family and his nieces.”

The detective added that police are in the early stages of the investigation and are still trying to piece together the sequence of events.

Police confirmed a white BMW that crashed into other parked cars in the area is believed to be connected to the homicide.

Officers have seized that vehicle and members of the forensic identification unit will be processing it as part of the investigation.

‘We are coming for you’

“To the suspect, we are coming for you. My best advice is to contact a lawyer and turn yourself in,” Nair said Thursday.

He said police will be going door-to-door in the neighbourhood, searching for video surveillance footage.

Police will be present in the neighbourhood for the next few days, he added.

When asked about a possible motive for the stabbing, Nair said he does not believe the incident was random but would not elaborate.

The victim, he said, is not a resident of Toronto but does live in the GTA. Nair would not say why police believe the victim was in East York on Wednesday night.

The stabbing marks Toronto’s fifth homicide of 2026.