London police have charged a 62-year-old man with second degree murder following a disturbance in the downtown core.
Emergency crews were called to 414 Dufferin Ave. around 9:20 p.m. Friday for a disturbance.
On arrival, they found a 59-year-old man suffering from serious injuries and was rushed to hospital where he died. There are reports that the victim was slashed in the throat. The victim has been identified as Christopher Husty, 59, of London.
Police say a man was trying to leave the scene when they got there and the man allegedly assaulted a citizen who was helping police.
Ernest Guitare, 62, of London is charged with second degree murder and assaulting police. He remains in custody and will make a court appearance via video Saturday.
Two years ago, police issued a warning about the release of a high-risk offender who planned to reside in London.
At that time, 60-year-old Ernest Guitare was released from a federal institution in New Brunswick.
Police said Guitare has a history of violence and weapons offences and believed he posed a risk to public safety.
Murray Faulkner, a former London police chief, says resources are limited when it comes to identifying and monitoring high-rise offenders.
"When I was chief, there were over 120 sexual offenders on the sexual registry list living in London. We were very reluctant to give out names and address unless we felt there was an extremely high risk," he says.
Defence lawyer Gord Cudmore says the police do a good job when it comes to warnings and monitoring people.
"One has to be careful not to read too much into this," he says. "A lot of high-risk offenders are released and there's never a problem. But when there is a problem that's what makes the front page."
Police say the victim and the accused are known to each other and there is no threat to public safety.
