Court documents reveal that suspects involved in the alleged hit on a senior corrections officer, which sparked the police corruption and organized crime investigation known as Project South, coordinated the incident using fake identities on an encrypted messaging platform.
Leading up to the planned attack, individuals reportedly utilized the Signal app to exchange personal details and images of the targeted corrections officer, whose identity is safeguarded by a publication ban.
These details emerged from a factum submitted by Crown prosecutors in Ontario Superior Court last month. The factum, based on conversations retrieved from confiscated cellphones, outlines how an alleged network offering gun-for-hire services was purportedly behind the attempted murder plot.
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The investigation into Project South was initiated in June 2025 following the interception of the alleged murder attempt by York Regional Police, who intervened after the suspects’ vehicle collided with a police car stationed near the targeted official’s residence.
Initially, close to 30 individuals were charged in connection with Project South, including seven active Toronto police officers and one retired constable. One officer, now retired, pleaded guilty last month, while one civilian’s charge was dropped.
‘Need the hit squad’
On June 16, 2025, just days before the foiled murder attempt, suspect Dequon Lemonious, allegedly using the alias “Danny Phantom” on Signal, reportedly communicated with Median Jackson, known as “Lebron James,” about the need to scout an address to confirm the presence of a specific vehicle.