A 21-year-old man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a mechanic in East York earlier this week. Toronto police announced on Saturday that Pratik Parajuli Thapa had been charged with second-degree murder in Wednesday night’s fatal stabbing. Officers were initially called for an unknown trouble in the area of Gamble and Donlands Avenues shortly after 9:30 p.m. Police said there were reports of an altercation at the back of a low-rise residential building and when officers arrived, they located 27-year-old Ahmed Hassan Asif without vital signs and suffering from stab wounds. Life-saving measures were performed, but police said Asif was pronounced dead at the scene. He is the city’s fifth homicide victim of the year. In a news release on Saturday, police said Thapa had also been charged with robbery. He is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday morning. When asked on Thursday about a possible motive for the stabbing, Toronto Police homicide Det.-Sgt. Sajeev Nair said he does not believe the incident was random but would not elaborate. Nair described Asif as a “hard-working young man” who was “very much loved by his family and his nieces.” He said Asif was 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. With files from Codi Wilson
