On Jan. 26, at approximately 12:36 a.m. Toronto Police Services (TPS) responded to a call for a “wounding” near Paul Martel Park located on Madison Avenue just north of Bloor. This wounding would later become a homicide, Toronto’s first homicide of 2025. 

Darapheakdey “Daral” Sovann, 27, was found Sunday morning with life threatening injuries. First aid was administered at the scene, and he was rushed to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Police ruled this as a homicide, and in a critical incident alert that was sent out by the Community Crisis Response Program, the incident was described as a “swarming.” 

A swarming refers to a violent robbery involving two or more assailants. Swarmings are among the most random crimes police respond to, making them even harder to solve, as they are crimes of opportunity. 

In relation to this incident, police have arrested two individuals but have not labelled it a swarming. 

In a news release given by TPS on Feb. 1, they identified two suspects: Brooklynn Walsh, 24, and Camera Brown, 21, both from Oshawa. 

The two have been charged with second degree murder, and the police have stated that there are no outstanding suspects in relation to this homicide. 

Both were scheduled to appear at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre, with Walsh’s hearing on the morning of Jan. 30, and Brown’s on Feb. 1. 

This homicide not only marks Toronto’s first of 2025, but according to the Public Safety Data Portal provided by TPS it is also the first in the Annex neighborhood in nearly five years. 

Police have asked that anyone with any information regarding the incident please contact police at 416-808-7400, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com. 

—Amna Ahmad/Gleaner News