Cops Let Alleged Home Invader Walk Free From Hospital, Now He's Wanted

A suspected home invader in Canada allegedly helped terrorize a wealthy family, got shot by his own accomplice, and then walked free from a hospital after police questioned him.

Now, cops are scrambling to track him down ... but here's the wild part ... Toronto police say Daijohn Richards showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound to his shoulder after an armed break-in Thursday at a $2.1 million mansion.

Officers actually spoke with Richards at the hospital ... but let him leave because they didn't have enough evidence to arrest him at the time, according to the New York Post.

By the time investigators connected him to the violent home invasion, he'd already been discharged ... and now he's wanted across Canada.

The alleged crime was brutal ... police say three masked men armed with guns and a hammer stormed the home of real estate CEO David Morton in Toronto's ritzy Bridle Path neighborhood around 3:40 AM.

The intruders allegedly demanded valuables before all hell broke loose ... Morton and his two adult daughters were shot, while his wife was attacked with a hammer. All four were hospitalized.

And in a bizarre twist, police believe Richards was accidentally shot by one of his own accomplices during the chaos.

Now, authorities are defending their decision to let him walk ... explaining that recognizing a potential suspect and having enough evidence to make an arrest are two very different things.

Richards faces multiple charges, including robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault ... while the two other suspects remain unidentified ... and police say all three men are considered armed and dangerous.