Jewish Tech Lecturer Shot and Killed in Toronto; Ex-Cop Arrested as Police Weigh Possible Antisemitism

Toronto police said today (Monday) they arrested a 67-year-old former officer on suspicion of killing, the day before yesterday, Daniel Stopnicki, 47, a Jewish technology lecturer. Police asked the public to come forward if they encountered the suspect in any other assaults on residents in the city—especially against Jewish people.

Stopnicki was found shot on the street in his neighborhood the day before yesterday, and his family said he had gone out to walk his dog. The suspect in the murder, whose detention was extended today, is 67-year-old former police officer Mykhailo Markicevich. In a press release, local police said they are examining a possible antisemitic motive, along with other motives. Based on early findings of the investigation, they said, "it was a planned murder."

According to the police report, last Thursday Jewish residents in the north of the city were attacked, and the incident is being investigated as a hate crime. The assailant fired from a moving vehicle using an air pistol at Jewish residents walking on the street, causing minor injuries. Investigators are examining whether the cases are connected.