PAINFUL MEMORY
Victim of hammer attack wants to know why Toronto police never warned the public,
If someone attacks you with a hammer and you don’t know why, do the police have a duty to report it to the public?
It’s a question that’s been nagging at Douglas Nery since March 14, when the resident of Toronto’s Gay Village says a man hit him in the head from behind as he walked home from the movies.
Bleeding and confused, and with thoughts of alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur flashing in his mind, Nery sought the help of a nearby witness. He was eventually treated for a gash so deep it exposed a portion of his skull. The back of his head bears the large scar where he took several internal and external stitches.
But what especially pains Nery is the feeling his case has not been taken seriously — and that police did not issue a warning to the public.
“They never found the guy ... They never released the images to the public like they do in any other case,” Nery said.
“It’s like I died and I’m talking to people, and nobody listens to me,” he said.
Toronto Police spokesperson Meaghan Gray would not speak directly about Nery’s case, but said it’s not unusual for investigators to decline to issue a press release.
The question of when to send out a press release hinges on whether it will help further their investigation, she said. When a crime occurs, it’s up to the investigator to decide whether a press release is needed.
“Sometimes a media release isn’t necessarily going to help further the case,” she said.
Cases where a release may help could include missing persons reports, public safety threats, suspects at large or information on those who have already been arrested, Gray said.
There is “nothing to suggest this case isn’t being treated with professionalism and respect,” she said.
Nery caught a movie at Yonge-Dundas Square with a couple of work friends on that March evening, a Wednesday. He took the subway home.
As he exited the station at Bloor-Yonge at about 11:45 p.m., Nery said he saw another man leave with him, hanging to the side and keeping to the shadows.
Nery said he crossed the street to take a pedestrian walkway through the parking garage on Charles St. He had taken no more than five steps into the garage, he said, when he felt the blow to the back of his head.
Someone, Nery said he doesn’t know why, had hit him with a hammer.
Dazed, he said he caught a glimpse of his attacker when he bent to pick up his hat.
“At that moment I recognized him from the station,” he said.
Nery said he remembered the man well enough to give a detailed description to police from hospital.
The issuing of a press release comes down to a single major factor: whether the information getting out to the public would be in any way helpful to police, or to the public, Gray said.
The information released needs to be accurate and, ultimately, either help people protect themselves from a crime, or to further the police investigation, she said.
It’s up to the investigator to decide when evidence such as photos or video is made public, Gray said. If the images wouldn’t spark someone’s memory, or if they don’t capture the incident, then they wouldn’t be shared with the public.
“We really do take consideration as to when we release photos and video,” Gray said.
Nery, 34, moved to Toronto from Brazil in 2012, relocating to the Village with his husband, from whom he is now separated. Nery works as a consultant for international students in Canada, and maintains a YouTube channel where he offers immigration advice and information to those looking to settle in Toronto.
Nery talked about the attack in a video on his channel, for which he said he has received hateful comments and threats.
Nery describes his life following his assault as “hell.” He said he struggles to leave the house or maintain his daily routine.
The attack has left him with more questions than answers.
“I have no clue who this person is,” he said.
“They never found the guy ... They never released the images to the public like they do in any other case ... It’s like I died and I’m talking to people, and nobody listens to me.” DOUGLAS NERY VICTIM OF HAMMER ATTACK