A 36-year-old man is dead in a stabbing at an apartment building in Scarborough which police say "has had a troubled past."
Toronto Police say the victim, identified as Ian Dyer, is Toronto's first homicide of 2019.
It's believed Dyer was stabbed sometime between 11:30 Saturday evening and 12 a.m. Sunday, with police receiving the call about a half hour later to attend a Toronto Community Housing apartment complex on Gordonridge Place, near Danforth Road and Midland.
"EMS and Police arrived on scene and found obvious signs of trauma to the male," Toronto Police spokesperson Katrina Arrogante told NEWSTALK1010. "He was pronounced at the scene."
According to Detective Paul Worden at a news conference Sunday afternoon, Dyer did not live in the building but had been staying there with friends for the past few days.
Worden says he was known to police, but "at least from what we know now, he wasn't doing anything of a criminal nature at the time he was killed."
He added that the building was also well-known to investigators.
"Unfortunately violence is not uncommon there," he said. "The information we're getting is that the building on that particular floor had heavy drug activity."
Investigators believe that neighbours likely heard what happened and they're asking anyone who hasn't come forward to do so as soon as possible.
"We are trying to track Mr. Dyer's movements in the day leading up to his death, so if anybody has information where Mr. Dyer was [Saturday] - either at the building or somewhere else, anybody he may have been seen talking to - we would like information on that as well," Worden added.
Police also say a large german shepherd was in the apartment at the time and got loose after the stabbing, ending up on another floor. They believe the dog's whereabouts may be able to reveal details that can help them with the investigation.
There's no word yet on any suspects, but investigators do not believe there is an elevated risk to public safety.