LONDON, ONT. -- London police have identified the man that was killed in a home invasion early Sunday morning and are looking into the possibility he may have ties to an African rebel group responsible for numerous deaths in Liberia.
Police say Bill Horace, 44, of Toronto was shot to death during the incident on Pochard Lane around 4:40 a.m.
According to police, four suspects arrived at 232 Pochard Ln. in two vehicles.
They entered the house and a physical altercation took place, with Horace being shot by one of the suspects.
He was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspects fled the scene before police could arrive.
They are described as:
- Male, Black, six feet tall, thin build, wearing a black hospital-style mask, grey sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt
- Male, Black, wearing a black hospital-style mask and a hooded sweatshirt with a red stripe down the arm
- Male, Black, wearing a black hospital-style mask and a hooded sweatshirt
- Male, Black, very light complexion, short, with a thin build, short braids and grey sweatpants
Police don't believe this was a random incident.
“We believe that this was a targeted event, we don't believe there is an immediate threat to the public in any way it was not a random attack,” says Det.-Superintendent Chris Newton with London Police.
“However the males involved are considered to be armed and dangerous. We have some leads here, no predicting anything in the coming days but we've got somethings we're working on,” he adds.
There are reports the victim was tied to the National Patriotic Front in Liberia, a rebel group involved in the First Liberian Civil War from 1989 to 1996.
And several news sources name the 44-year-old victim as a former commander in a rebel Liberian army whose alleged war crimes were under investigation.
Rodney Sieh is a reporter with media outlet Front Page Africa and has been covering stories involving Horace for some time.
“He died in a very violent way, kind of the way he lived his life during the civil war in Liberia,” says Sieh.
“He was involved in one of the brutal rebel factions in Liberia. He was a General, he was very ruthless and those who remember him know that he did some very terrible things and he was hiding in Canada of all places,” Sieh adds.
However, a source at the United Canadian Liberian Association of London, Ont. says Horace was never part of any gatherings he attended in London or Toronto.
As of Monday afternoon, London police would not confirm these details.
The investigation continues.
