CEO David Morton and his daughters shot in Toronto home invasion

Three masked men shot a Toronto real estate executive and his two adult daughters and struck his wife with a hammer inside the family's gated home in the Bridle Path, one of Toronto's wealthiest areas, early Thursday.

All four were rushed to hospital. Two of them suffered life-altering injuries and remained hospitalized, while the other two were treated for non-life-threatening wounds, Toronto Police Service Inspector Kristy Smith told reporters at a news conference. Smith did not say which of the four fell into which group, and police have not identified the victims.

The Toronto Sun identified the father as David Morton, 75, chief executive of the MAC Group, a Toronto company. His wife, Doriana Zohil-Morton, is the group's president. Their two adult daughters are Maggie Zohil-Morton and Cristina Zohil-Morton. All four were home when the men came in. Morton and both daughters were shot, police said, and his wife was the one struck with the hammer.

What police have said

The men forced their way in through a rear door of the house, on Hyde Park Circle, a gated street where residences sell for millions of dollars. It was about 3:45 a.m. All three were carrying handguns and one also had a hammer, police said, and once inside they demanded valuables from the home.

Morton and his daughters confronted the three inside the house. A struggle followed. The men fired their guns multiple times and one of the family members was hit with the hammer, according to the police account of the attack.

A struggle ensued during this altercation in which the suspects fired their guns multiple times, and one victim was struck with a hammer

What the men took, if anything, has not been established. "There was a violent interaction. There was a demand made for valuables from within the home. Whether or not they escaped with anything is uncertain," Smith said.

Accounts of the wounds

A source told the Toronto Sun that the three family members who confronted the men tried to fight them off before they were shot. Morton and one of his daughters were shot in the leg, according to that account, and his other daughter was wounded under the arm. Police have not confirmed where each person was hit.

The same source said all four of them were struck with a hammer, a claim TMZ reported has not been confirmed.

Police have said only that one victim was struck with the hammer during the struggle, and Smith did not connect any specific wound to any specific member of the family.

Police said the family is not in the home, which has made it harder to establish what, if anything, the men took.

Motive and the investigation

Police say there is nothing at this stage to indicate that the family or the house was picked out in advance. "We have no information at this point to suspect that this particular home was targeted by the suspects," Smith said.

Smith pointed instead to the wealth of the surrounding streets, an "affluent area where people would have things that are sought after." She did not say what the men were believed to be looking for, and police did not give a motive beyond that.

The three men left the area in an SUV before officers arrived, and police have released no description of them. Smith told reporters there was no description of the suspects that authorities could provide.

Smith told reporters that carjackings have declined while home invasions have increased in Toronto's neighborhoods citywide.

The mayor's response

Mayor Olivia Chow responded on X. "I am deeply troubled by the violent home invasion early this morning in the Bridle Path neighbourhood. My thoughts are with the family and their loved ones, who are going through something no family should ever have to face. I am praying for their full recovery," she wrote.

Chow said police presence around the neighborhood would be increased, and she asked anyone in the community with information about the attack to come forward.

The family and the company

Morton has 30 years of experience in hospitality and real estate and oversees all divisions of the MAC Group, according to the company's website. The group is family-owned and based in Toronto, with sub-divisions that specialize in real estate, hospitality and corporate housing.

Doriana Zohil-Morton is listed as the company's president alongside her husband. Cristina Zohil-Morton is the founder of Zohil-Morton Law, which specializes in Canadian immigration law, and her sister Maggie Zohil-Morton works at the MAC Group across several departments.

Police have not said whether anything was taken from the house, and no description of the three men has been released. No arrest has been announced. Officers have not said anything further about the vehicle the men used, which Smith described only as an SUV.

The house and the street

An online listing cited in the New York Post's account lists a tennis court, an in-ground pool and private gardens. The property sits inside the gated community on Hyde Park Circle.

Home invasions remain unusual on streets like this one, even as they have become more common across the city.

Investigators are working to establish a motive and are checking whether the attackers had previously looked over other homes in the neighborhood, police said. Smith did not say whether the three are suspected in any other break-ins. The investigation is continuing.

The police appeal

Smith said police would do everything possible to identify and arrest those responsible. "People should be able to feel safe in their homes," she said.