A brutal mob attack has left one young man in critical condition, with a punctured lung and constant brain swelling. The incident took place on Saturday, October 24, 2015 after two cars reportedly stopped in the vicinity of the Canadian Embassy where several men emerged from the vehicles, armed with knives. The suspects then began to chase and attack other men who were thought to be the homeless gay youth that were known to be living in the area. Two individuals who were not a part of the group were also badly injured and have since hospitalized.

While the homeless youth living in the area contest that that the brutal attack was not provoked, they also pointed out that public harassment and attacks have increased since the Sunday Gleaner published an article on October 4, 2015 with the headline “Homeless Cross-Dressers Living Among The Dead”.

One of the young men who was hospitalized has been identified as Asheen Walford, of a Papine address, who is a well known volunteer that works closely with the homeless population in Kingston and St. Andrew. The other victim, who has not been identified, was reportedly admitted to hospital in critical condition and is currently in a comma, battling for his life with a punctured lung and constant brain swelling. Read more via NADA