WARNING: This story contains discussion of intimate partner violence.
An 18-year-old man shot and killed by London, Ont., police last week after the fatal stabbing of Breanna Broadfoot was previously accused of assaulting and choking the 17-year-old and under a court order not to contact her, CBC News has learned.
Broadfoot died in hospital on Thursday, two days after she was stabbed at a home in the city’s east end in a case police have linked to intimate partner violence.
Officers arriving at 86 Wellesley Cres. that night found Broadfoot with severe injuries and a 22-year-old man with minor injuries, as well as an 18-year-old man who they say confronted them with a knife. He was shot by police and later died in hospital.
Court documents obtained by CBC News show an 18-year-old man, identified as Kuhkpaw Moo of London, had been charged with assault, and assault with choking, suffocation or strangulation after an alleged incident in March.
Broadfoot is listed as the victim in the documents, which identify the case as being intimate partner violence.
SIU investigating police shooting of 18-year-old
The documents list the accused’s residence as 86 Wellesley Cres., the same home where last week’s stabbing occurred, and an online obituary for an 18-year-old with the same name includes an identical date of birth.
Police have declined to identify the 18-year-old man, citing an investigation into the conduct of the officers by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit. The SIU, a civilian agency that investigates injuries, deaths and sexual assaults involving police, has said it is not legally allowed to release his name.
Speaking with CBC News recently, Broadfoot’s parents said the man who stabbed their daughter last week had been dating her for eight months and that an assault in March left her hospitalized. She was trying to break up with him, they said.
The court documents show Moo was arrested on March 15 and released that day after promising to appear in court the following month. His release on an undertaking came with conditions that he not communicate with Broadfoot or go within 50 metres of her, or where she lived, worked or went to school.
Moo was also ordered not to possess a firearm, crossbow, or any prohibited or restricted ammunition, devices, or weapons.
The 18-year-old was due back in court on July 31.
Reached by phone, Moo’s lawyer, Brendan Neufeld, declined to comment to CBC News. He also declined to comment when asked if his client was dead.
Broadfoot’s family have also declined to share his name, saying the SIU asked them not to.
Members of Moo’s family declined to speak with CBC News when a reporter visited the Wellesley Crescent home on Tuesday.
Researcher says dating violence among youth a problem
The ages of the suspect and victim weren’t surprising to Peter Jaffe, founding partner of Western University’s Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children.
Jaffe said he couldn’t comment on the specific case, but the highest-risk group with domestic violence and domestic homicides are between ages 15 and 24.
“There’s a very high incidence of dating violence and domestic homicide with that population of youth,” he told CBC’s London Morning.
“They’re young people beginning their first intimate relationships. Some of them have learned about violence in their family of origin … For many young men, they grew up with images of toxic masculinity, where being [in] control and being violent is a way to maintain relationships.”
This video contains distressing details | Angie Sweeney’s ex-boyfriend shot and killed her in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., shortly after she broke up with him last October. CBC’s Katie Nicholson breaks down what happened before her murder and what Sweeney’s friends, family and the police say could’ve helped prevent her death and help other victims of intimate partner violence.
Most domestic homicides are preceded by seven or more warning signs, including obsessive and controlling behaviour, sexual jealousy, a history of violence, threats of harm, and having choked or strangled the victim previously, Jaffe said.
“If you look across Ontario, we’re seeing 35 domestic homicides a year, and as I said, the vast majority have prior warning signs,” he said.
In June, Cheryl Sheldon, 62, was killed in London, hours after contacted several agencies that help women leave abusive partners. Her boyfriend has been charged with second-degree murder.
The City of London declared intimate partner violence and femicide an epidemic last year, and the University of Guelph’s Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability says 48 women and girls have died from femicide this year.
Broadfoot’s parents have pledged to help survivors of intimate partner violence in her name. Six of the 17-year-old’s organs have been donated to five people in need, they said.
A funeral service will be held for Broadfoot on Wednesday and the family has organized a candlelight vigil for 7 p.m. at Ed Blake Park.
Several people are set to speak at the vigil, including London West MPP Peggy Sattler and Dan Jennings, the father of Caitlin Jennings, who was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend in July 2023.
Jessie Rodger, executive director of Anova, confirmed to CBC News that they and Jennifer Dunn of the London Abused Women’s Centre will also speak.
The criminal justice system must figure out how to better protect women from harm, Rodger said, calling the previous charges against Moo a “missed opportunity” to protect Broadfoot.
“It is deeply disturbing to know that he was in front of the courts, just months ago, for a charge that included suffocation, which is a huge risk factor, and that should have been setting off alarm bells for a lot of people to make sure that this young woman and her supports were surrounded by organizations and people who could make sure that she was as safe as possible,” they said.
“Breanna’s death is devastating on its own, and the information about the recent charges makes it even harder to stomach.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
In London, support is also available through Anova, Atlosha Native Family Healing Services, London Abused Women’s Centre, Regional Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centre, and Victim Services of Middlesex-London.