A CEO has described a “terrifying” ordeal after burglars invaded his Toronto mansion, prompting Canadian police to launch a manhunt for three suspects.
David Morton, CEO of MAC Group, sent a statement to the Daily Mail on Friday, 36 hours after his Toronto home was invaded. Morton and two of his adult daughters were shot during the attack, but all three survived.
In his statement, Morton said his family had endured a “terrifying and life-threatening experience” in the place where they should have felt most secure—the “safety and security of [their] own home.”
“It is difficult to put into words the trauma of experiencing something so horrific in the one place where everyone should feel safest: their own home,” Morton said.
“No family should ever have to experience this,” he added. “People should be able to sleep peacefully in their homes without fear of armed individuals breaking in and threatening their lives.”
Morton said his family was “deeply concerned” about the rise in violence linked to home invasions and the safety of families across Toronto.
Police are searching for three men believed to be about 20 years old, all of whom are considered “armed and dangerous.”
Mac Group CEO David Morton, 75, was shot during a home invasion at his Toronto house at around 3.45am on Thursday
Morton’s 64–year–old wife, Doriana Zohli, and his adult daughters, Cristina Zohil–Morton (left) and Maggie Zohil–Morton (right), were also shot
According to the Toronto Police Service, the men entered Morton’s home in the affluent Bridle Path neighborhood at around 3.40am on Thursday.
The suspects, who were armed with firearms and a hammer, forced their way in through the rear of the property and demanded the family’s personal valuables. An “altercation” then broke out.
Morton, 75, and his two adult daughters, Maggie and Cristina Zohil-Morton, who are both in their 20s, were shot during the invasion.
Morton and his wife, 64-year-old Doriana Zohil, were also struck with a hammer during the overnight attack. Zohil is president of the MAC Group.
The men fled in a dark SUV before officers arrived. It was not immediately known whether they took any belongings from the property.
Police announced on Friday that the suspects were believed to be armed and dangerous.
The Mortons’ seven-bathroom mansion, valued at around $2.1 million, features a tennis court, an in-ground pool and private gardens, the New York Post reported.
Toronto police released preliminary descriptions of the suspects on Friday. The first was described as a Black man, approximately 20 years old, with a thin build.
The second and third suspects were also believed to be around 20. Police did not provide their races; one was described as thin, while no description was available for the other.
All three men were wearing dark clothing and face masks. Police are appealing to the public for information that could help identify and locate them.
Toronto police said an “altercation” began after the three masked men demanded the family’s personal valuables, leaving Morton and his two adult daughters with gunshot wounds
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Toronto Police Inspector Kristy Smith said at a press conference on Thursday that the Morton family had been rushed to the hospital following the attack.
Smith said two family members had sustained ‘life–altering injuries,’ while the remaining two had severe but ‘non–life–threatening injuries.’
She did not specify who suffered which injuries, and further details about the injuries were not provided.
The family ‘tried to fight off’ the home invaders before being shot and attacked, according to a source cited by the Toronto Sun.
Morton and one of his daughters were shot in the leg, while his other daughter was shot in the arm, per the outlet.
Surveillance cameras had been installed inside the multimillion dollar home. The footage has been turned over to police.
Still, Smith said that authorities had ‘no information at this point to suspect that this particular home’ had been targeted by the masked men.
‘I’m not quite sure what their motives are at this time and whether or not they were in the area looking at other houses prior,’ Smith added.
However, she noted that the neighborhood was an ‘affluent area where people would have things that are sought after.’
Smith also explained that carjackings had declined in Toronto but that home invasions ‘for the purpose of stealing a car’ were increasing.
Still, she insisted that ‘people should be able to feel safe in their homes,’ assuring residents that police were doing ‘everything that we can to identify, locate, and bring these suspects to criminal justice.’
Toronto Police Inspector Kristy Smith said there had been an increase in violent home invasions in affluent Toronto neighborhoods
Police said three masked men, two of whom were armed with handguns while the third was armed with a hammer, broke into the family’s home
Cecil Hawkins, who lives in the area, called the break-in and shooting ‘mindboggling.’
‘It’s a defenseless home owner,’ he told CTV News. ‘Why would they react that way?’
Hawkins said the owner of the home was a ‘really lovely lady.’
‘She is so community-minded, so pleasant, affable, with two daughters,’ he added.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said Thursday on X that she was ‘deeply troubled’ by the home invasion, acknowledging that the attack had ‘understandably shaken the neighborhood and many residents across Toronto.’
Chow added that locals could expect to see an increased police presence in the area.
The Toronto Police Service told the Daily Mail on Friday afternoon that there was no additional information to share at this time.