Police are searching an east-end Toronto apartment to try to uncover why a 29-year-old Faisal Hussain went on a shooting spree along Toronto's Danforth Avenue on Sunday evening. He was known to police for his previous “online activity,” the Toronto police say. There has been no word on the type of online activity the police knew about or how long ago it happened.
His family immigrated from Pakistan decades ago, and Hussain was one of four children. The family had been in Thorncliffe Park since around 2000, he said.
But they had been through several ordeals. One sister had died in a car accident years ago, and a brother has been hopitalized and severely disabled for the past year after suffering a stroke. Faisal’s 70-year-old father had recently had invasive form of surgery.
Faisal Hussain: what we know about the man suspected of last week’s shooting in Toronto https://t.co/E56mk14qqV pic.twitter.com/EFPKVtuHWZ
— Reuters TV (@ReutersTV) July 24, 2018
Sources say police in Toronto and CSIS officials in Ottawa, as well as the RCMP, are looking into his past which sources say include his residence in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Faisal Hussain killed Reese Fallon, an 18-year-old woman who aspired to be a nurse, and a 10-year-old girl, whose family has asked that her name not be released. Another 13 people were wounded. Ontario's police watchdog has said Hussain died after a exchange of gunfire with police, but it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.
Special Investigations Unit spokesperson Monica Hudon provides an update on the investigation into Sunday night's mass shooting on the Danforth READ HERE: http://ow.ly/kvZb30l51VM
Posted by CityNews Toronto on Monday, 23 July 2018
A motive for the shooting is not yet known but in a statement released on Monday, his family said he suffered from “severe mental health challenges” and had struggled with psychosis and depression his entire life.
STATEMENT FROM FAMILY OF TORONTO GUNMAN
Statement from the family of Faisal Hussain, who died after shooting 15 people, two fatally, in Toronto on Sunday night:
"We are at a terrible loss for words but we must speak out to express our deepest condolences to the families who are now suffering on account of our son's horrific actions.
"We are utterly devastated by the incomprehensible news that our son was responsible for the senseless violence and loss of life that took place on the Danforth.
"Our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life. The interventions of professionals were unsuccessful. Medications and therapy were unable to treat him. While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end.
"Our hearts are in pieces for the victims and for our city as we all come to grips with this terrible tragedy. We will mourn those who were lost for the rest of our lives.
"Hussain Family"
The SIU has identified the suspect in Toronto's deadly mass shooting as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain. CBC News has obtained the following statement on behalf of his family, who say their "hearts are in pieces for the victims." https://t.co/sY95zL1mZ0 pic.twitter.com/oSWagNYXGv
— Shanifa Nasser (@shanifanasser) July 23, 2018
TORONTO SHOOTER FAISAL HUSSAIN DIDN'T SHOW OUTWARD SIGNS OF MENTAL ILLNESS: NEIGHBOURS
The man behind a deadly shooting spree in the heart of Toronto's Greektown came from a supportive family beleaguered with troubles and showed no outward signs of the mental illness believed to have plagued him for years, neighbours said Tuesday.
Residents of the central Toronto apartment complex where 29-year-old Faisal Hussain lived with his parents expressed shock that someone among them could have carried out the Sunday night rampage that killed a 10-year-old girl and 18-year-old aspiring nurse. Hussain was found dead after exchanging gunfire with police.
Sairah Ahmed said that while Hussain did not mingle with fellow residents as his parents frequently did, he was a familiar sight around the neighbourhood.
"I used to see him around a lot and he did not seem to have any behaviour problems," Ahmed said, adding that she was shocked to learn of Hussain's involvement in the shooting.
Neighbour Khalid can’t believe that Faisal Hussain is capable of destruction like the #DanforthShooting. @CityNews @680NEWS pic.twitter.com/RXCCm5vshB
— Tony Fera (@tonyfera1) July 23, 2018
Hussain's family issued a statement on Monday evening saying their son had a long history of psychosis and depression and had not responded to numerous treatment approaches, including therapy and medication. The family said they were shocked at Hussain's "senseless violence" and expressed their condolences for the families of the victims.
Sadaf Pathan, another one of the family's neighbours, said the Hussains have contended with tragedy before.
She said the gunman's mother had told her about the relatively recent death of her daughter and an unspecified illness affecting her other son. Her husband also seemed to have a long-term health condition, Pathan said.
She described the family matriarch as very kind and caring, but said the family troubles showed.
"She always has a very serious look on her face, and she looks like she's so much in pain," Pathan said.
Closer to the scene of the shooting, mourners began paying tribute to one of the shooting victims at the high school she attended until weeks before her death.
As questions swirl around Danforth gunman Faisal Hussain's motive, the Ministry of Public Safety tells CBC News there is "no national security nexus at this time." pic.twitter.com/NbrwigjxXs
— Shanifa Nasser (@shanifanasser) July 24, 2018
Reese Fallon, 18, had just graduated from Malvern Collegiate and was due to start studying nursing at Hamilton's McMaster University in the fall, according to social media posts from her family members.
Anthony Parise, who taught Fallon's Grade 12 English class, remembered her as "a leader among her peers" and a fantastic caregiver.
"Her plan was to become a mental health nurse," he said. "Knowing what I know of Reese, she would have been an exceptional nurse, because she was a natural caregiver."
Mark Steel, who was Fallon's chemistry teacher last year, said she was a great student. Steel's wife, Julie Steel, organized an online fundraising campaign for a memorial scholarship in Fallon's name.
"Our idea was that we'd give the scholarship out annually to a Malvern collegiate graduate who was going into a nursing program, because Reese was so excited and so proud to do that," she said, biting back tears. "She would have been an incredible nurse."
Faisal Hussain, 29 is dead after police say he opened fire on the Danforth in Toronto Sunday. Hussain's family says he was suffering from severe mental health problems. Hussain's motive is still unclear- the federal gov't says "there is no national security nexus at this time" pic.twitter.com/pkYJdaw1GZ
— Aarti Pole (@aartipole) July 24, 2018
The identity of the 10-year-old girl killed in the attack has not been released.
Police have said 13 other people were injured in the carnage.
Ontario's police watchdog is probing the circumstances around Hussain's death, saying only that he died shortly after exchanging gunfire with two police officers. The agency probes all police-involved incidents in which someone is killed, injured or accused of sexual assault.
Toronto police are carrying out their own investigation into the attack and what motivated it. They have said they are looking at all possibilities.
As authorities conducted their probes, area residents returned to Danforth Avenue to place candles, flowers and messages of support at various makeshift memorials.
Toronto Police Forensics have just arrived at 43 Thorncliffe Park, the home of Faisal Hussain. It is believed that Faisal was responsible for the #DanforthShooting last night. @CityNews @680NEWS pic.twitter.com/ELkRmBoHk6
— Tony Fera (@tonyfera1) July 23, 2018
In large letters, the words "Danforth Strong" have been spray-painted on scaffolding while phrases such as "Greek town strong" and "we will not be afraid" were written in chalk on the pavement around a fountain decorated with flowers, notes and candles.
#DANFORTHSTRONG MOVEMENT GROWS AS PEOPLE LOOK FOR WAYS TO HELP AFTER SHOOTING
TORONTO — Hours after Sunday's mass shooting in Toronto's vibrant Greektown neighbourhood, a groundswell of support began for the victims and local businesses, with many vowing on social media to shop and dine on the strip as soon as possible.
Businesses along the normally bustling stretch of Danforth Avenue were shut down Monday as police investigated the scene, where less than 24 hours earlier, a man went on a shooting spree that that left two dead and 13 more injured.
Islam is not responsible for the Toronto shooting. Muslims are not responsible, either. One person, Faisal Hussain, is responsible and only he should be held accountable. Don’t allow this tragedy to be an excuse for bigotry.
— Nathan Lean (@nathanlean) July 24, 2018
Authorities said the suspected gunman fled the area on foot and was later found dead with a gunshot wound.
"The Danforth is so silent today, it's creepy," said Keiley Routledge, who owns the Danforth staple Small Wonders Pets and lives in the area.
"Our store is closed, all the businesses for the most part are closed."
Politically correct reporters keep saying murderer Faisal Hussain suffered ‘mental illness’. Which Islamic terrorist was NOT mentally ill? These jihadis hate women and Faisal aimed at and shot the woman. He’s a jihadi, no doubt about it Shame on @CBCNews for covering up the truth
— Ensaf haidar 🇨🇦 (@miss9afi) July 23, 2018
Routledge set up a GoFundMe campaign called Danforth Strong to help the victims and their families. There was also a GoFundMe campaign called Danforth Shooting Victims Fund circulating online.
"It's the Danforth — we always come together," Routledge said.
Meanwhile, social media users shouted out their favourite spots along the Danforth Monday, using the hashtags #TorontoStrong and #DanforthStrong and encouraging others to join in on supporting local businesses.
"Hey Toronto! What if this week we all tried to go to the #Danforth for dinner, or for an ice cream, or just for a walk," tweeted actress Tara Spencer-Nairn of "Corner Gas" fame.
"Show support to our neighbours. We are a city of communities and we are nothing without each other!
Mark Sanagan, who lives in the area with his wife and twin eight-year-old daughters, said if it weren't for the yellow police tape, he would have taken his family out for dinner at those same restaurants Monday night.
Sanagan said he's "riled up" about the violence that has rattled the neighbourhood's close-knit community, and he's determined not to let the many family-owned businesses in the area be punished for it.
"I'm glad people will think about supporting the workers in this community, who were traumatized as well," he said in an interview. "To not just be psychologically damaged, but financially damaged as well would be a double injury."
Routledge said her daughter was at a local bar when the shooting happened Sunday night and called her to say, "Mom, I'm OK," adding: "I saw everything."
"She's coping as you would expect somebody would cope, watching people fall like dominoes in front of her and hiding under a table and holding somebody's baby," Routledge said.
"The quick response of all the first responders was amazing. I've never seen so many police cars in my entire life."
Toronto mass shooter is a Pakistani. 29 year old Faisal Hussain. (Pakistan is called global terror epicentre for a reason. Pak Army Major Tahawwur Hussain Rana incidentally was a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) sleeper cell in Canada) Canadians need to wake up to terror in their backyard https://t.co/bOE8sKjIWX
— GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) July 24, 2018
TORONTO'S GREEKTOWN COMMUNITY HOLDS VIGIL FOR VICTIMS OF WEEKEND SHOOTING
TORONTO — Residents of Toronto's Danforth Avenue gathered for a prayer service on Monday night to mourn the victims of a shooting that left three people dead, including the gunman, and 13 wounded.
The mood on the normally bustling street lined with restaurants, patios and boutiques was solemn after it was reopened by police. Candles, flowers and messages of support were left at various places along the street where gunshots were fired on Sunday night.
Toronto Mayor John Tory joined members of the Greektown neighbourhood at a local church for the prayer service just steps from where the shooting took place.
"It was a church hall filled with love and many prayers were said for everybody," said Tory, who walked along Danforth to speak with pedestrians and people sitting on patios after leaving the church.
I drove through Thorncliffe every day for years and didn’t see a single woman without a hijab if not burka. I don’t take any pleasure in being right. pic.twitter.com/2oMySvNrbJ
— Rob Heychian (@robbieheych) July 23, 2018
I drove through Thorncliffe every day for years and didn’t see a single woman without a hijab if not burka. I don’t take any pleasure in being right. pic.twitter.com/2oMySvNrbJ
— Rob Heychian (@robbieheych) July 23, 2018
"I felt that it was important to come out and not give in to fear," said Laila Hawrylyshyn, who attended both the prayer service and the walk down Danforth. "I was out earlier today and it was very eerie and I just decided that this is about community more than anything."
Residents had written messages of support, prayers and calls to end gun violence on scaffolding that had "Danforth Strong" spray painted in large letters.
A few steps away, people gathered at a fountain to leave flowers, notes and candles. Messages written in chalk around the fountain read "Greek town strong" and "We will not be afraid."
At one restaurant where the shattered front windows were being replaced, a couple hugged each other and placed a bouquet of flowers next to stuffed animals and a pink balloon.
Police had earlier identified 18-year-old Reese Fallon as the Toronto woman who died in the shooting. Fallon was about to begin studying nursing at Hamilton's McMaster University in September.
Jessica Harrison said she went to school with Fallon and that she attended the prayer service and vigil to remember her. She said she was devastated when she heard that Fallon had been killed.
Calvary Church stands in the heart of Toronto's Greektown neighbourhood. Last night, pastor Daniel Winter led an evening vigil for the victims of Sunday's mass shooting. He spoke to @HannahThibedeau about how that community plans to heal together. #CBCNN pic.twitter.com/GbuoW8oQp0
— CBC Morning Live (@CBCMorningLive) July 24, 2018
"I think everybody is pretty shocked,"she said.
A GoFundMe page raising money for a $5,000 annual scholarship fund in Fallon's honour had raised over $10,000 by Tuesday morning. The money will to a graduate of Malvern Collegiate — the high school Fallon graduated from last month — entering a nursing program.
Police said the family of the second victim, a 10-year-old girl, did not want her name released at this time.
Investigators said six women and seven men ranging in age from 17 to 59 suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious in the shooting.
Last night, dozens of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at Canada visited the site of the #DanforthShooting with signs of #LoveForAllHatredForNone helping to unite grieving community members with #PrayersForToronto. #TorontoStrong #DanforthStrong pic.twitter.com/i5TyPgX0sE
— AhmadiyyaCanada (@ahmadiyyacanada) July 24, 2018
Ontario's police watchdog identified the alleged shooter as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, who died at the scene after a exchange of gunfire with police.
Hussain's parents said Monday that they were devastated by their son's "senseless violence." They said in a statement that their son had struggled with psychosis and depression his entire life.
WITNESSES DESCRIBE SHOOTING RAMPAGE AT TORONTO'S GREEKTOWN
TORONTO — A lively Toronto neighbourhood known for its restaurants and nightlife was the scene of panic and chaos on Sunday night as a gunman fired at unsuspecting bystanders, killing two and injuring 13 others before being found dead. As police work to determine the motive behind the rampage, those who were in the area known as Greektown recounted what they saw and heard.
Laurie Gutmann was at Christina's restaurant on Danforth Avenue when he heard gunshots and scrambled for cover at the back of the room.
In a Facebook post, Gutmann said he saw a wounded woman on the patio, screaming for help.
"She had been shot in the back of her thigh," said Gutmann, who had been at the restaurant celebrating his partner's birthday. "Her blood was all over the ground. Together with some of the staff, we helped bring her safely inside so she could lay down on a bench and we could try to help as best as we could."
Words cannot adequately express my feelings of tremendous gratitude, shock and sorrow all at the same time. Last night...
Posted by Laurie Gutmann on Monday, 23 July 2018
Two doctors — a married couple who had been eating at Christina's — tended to the woman, while one of the servers held her hand, Gutmann said.
"I called 911 but the lines were so busy, I couldn't even get through," he said.
His partner, Jody Steinhauer, was able to contact emergency services through social media, to tell them there was a shooting victim at the restaurant, he said.
"A member of Toronto Fire Service arrived and was followed very shortly thereafter by an entire team of first responders including paramedics, police and fire service people (who) put the victim on a gurney and rushed her to hospital," Gutmann said.
Canadian media is mentally ill. A jihadi carried out mass murder & all they discuss is 'gun violence' without mentioning the killer's primary motivation of jihad. Here is @CP24 . I could puke at the hypocrisy and cowardice being vommitted here. As if #FaisalHussain was a victim! pic.twitter.com/nr0WiZ7Fmr
— Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) July 24, 2018
Lenny Graf was eating dinner at The Friendly Greek restaurant with his wife, their nine-year-old son Jason and one of Jason's friends Sunday night and took the kids to play by a fountain in a parkette at Danforth and Logan Aves.
"I heard what I thought were firecrackers and then when I noticed that people started to get scared and run away and duck I realized there must be some sort of shooting," he said. "My first instinct was to try and find Jason and I saw him crouched behind the fountain." Graf said his son was just three metres from the man who was shooting.
As Graf saw the man stop firing and begin to walk away, he grabbed his son and took him through an alleyway, to the back of the restaurant, where his wife and his son's friend had taken shelter. They stayed in the restaurant until they saw police arrive and were told it was OK to come out.
Sara Pearsell was eating dinner with her boyfriend when she saw police flooding into the area.
She said she checked Twitter and saw reports of the shooting.
"We went outside, and the cops were like, 'Yeah, please stay away, it's not OK,'" said Pearsall, who has lived in the neighbourhood for about five years, and works at a bar just east of where the shooting took place.
"There were five or six ambulances that started zooming in. It was pretty crazy," she said.
When the couple overheard on a police radio that the incident was over, they got their bikes and quickly rode out of the area.
Le parc Alexandre le Grand s’est transformé en lieu de recueillement dans le quartier grec de Toronto #TorontoStong #Danforth #DanforthStrong pic.twitter.com/pzItuTrZD9
— Pascal Robidas (@pascalrobidas) July 24, 2018
"We were like, 'Let's just get out of the way,'" Pearsell said. "Where we were standing, like 12 cop cars came rushing around, parked and (officers) came out running ... That's my sign to get out of there."
Ryan Granville-Martin was heading home from a walk with his wife when he heard sirens screeching through his neighbourhood, half a block from Danforth Ave.
Police cars, ambulances and panicked bystanders filled the street, he said.
"It was a scene that I've only seen the likes of on TV or in movies," Granville-Martin, 43, said. "It was just blocks in both directions as far as I could see lights and emergency vehicles and the whole street shut down and a lot of people around."
It was a shocking, confusing scene, said Granville-Martin, who set about trying to contact friends and loved ones, making sure they were all right.
Suzanne Kanso was sitting in her friend's car at Danforth and Carlaw avenues when, around 9:40 p.m., she heard a pop.
Thinking the noise had come from firecrackers, the pair kept chatting until police began to arrive about 15 or 20 minutes later, Kanso said.
"All we saw was just one cop car coming after the other," she said. "We saw people running towards Pape and Danforth from the crime scene … At that point, like a dozen cop cars were there, (police with) big guns."
Scenes captured by @CTVNews and @BTtoronto from the #DanforthShooting site where members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at Canada gathered with signs of #TorontoStrong and #LoveForAllHatredForNone. pic.twitter.com/EtuSVYo380
— AhmadiyyaCanada (@ahmadiyyacanada) July 24, 2018
Dmytro Doblevych was driving home with a friend Sunday night when he saw about five police cars race past.
"As we arrived at Pape and Danforth, we saw gawkers, police cruisers flashing (their lights) and Danforth cordoned off both ways," Doblevych wrote in a Facebook post.
Doblevych, who identifies himself on Facebook as a freelance cameraman and editor, posted a video that shows police examining the scene of the shooting.
"Can't believe it happened at Danforth and Logan, where I've been so many times," he said in his post. "Hope there are as few victims as possible."
Andreas Silaidis said he heard about six gunshots, looked out his window and saw people running and a few bodies on the ground.
"There were cops everywhere," Silaidis said.
He said he saw three people getting taken out of a restaurants on stretchers and paramedics rushing to help a few people who were on the ground.
"I never thought something like this would happen where I live."
The #Danforth community is coming together after the horror of Sunday's mass shooting. People have gathered to share messages of love and hope at a Greektown vigil, proving once again how #TorontoStrong the city really is. #CBCNN pic.twitter.com/2ogmQIauiU
— CBC Morning Live (@CBCMorningLive) July 24, 2018
Nick Balkos said he had closed his restaurant about 15 minutes before he saw the shooter go past.
"He was running across the street yelling something and then he fired six to 10 shots into the Second Cup," said Balkos.
"He was shooting while he was running," he said, adding that it looked like the shooter started reloading his gun.
"Then I heard a bunch of other shots," Balkos said. "He looked angry."
Ramona Moore said she was having a drink with friends when one of them said he heard gunshots.
Moore said she saw police officers outside with their guns drawn a few minutes later.
"There was about 15 (officers) running around obviously looking for someone. It was like watching a movie," Moore said.
"It all happened so fast," she said, adding she then smelled gunpowder.
Police then told the customers to stay in the bar, she said.
Moore said it was about two hours before they could leave the bar.
The @BlueJays and @Twins share a moment of silence for the victims of Sunday night's tragic events on The Danforth.#TorontoStrong pic.twitter.com/QHpu8zqKOF
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 23, 2018
Tanya Wilson, whose Facebook profile says she is the owner of Skin Deep Inked Tattoo Studio, posted video of police and paramedics attending to victims in what appeared to be her shop.
Another clip showed blood, rubber gloves and other detritus on the floor of the studio.
"My heart is hurting for the victims," Wilson said in a Facebook post accompanying the videos.
OTTAWA WAS CONSIDERING GUN CRACKDOWN EVEN BEFORE TORONTO SHOOTING: GOODALE
OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the federal government is prepared to consider tightening handgun laws, but warns that taking such action would be a complicated process.
Goodale says Ottawa has been looking at changes to Criminal Code handgun provisions — not based on this week's deadly shooting in Toronto, but after hearing testimony earlier this year from people affected by the January 2017 mosque shooting in Quebec City, where six people were killed.
Following Sunday's attack in Toronto's Danforth area, in which authorities say 29-year-old Faisal Hussain killed an 18-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl and wounded 13 others, the city's mayor has renewed calls for tougher restrictions on firearms.
Goodale says the Trudeau government will look at proposals already before lawmakers to see what changes could be made.
The minister also said today that Hussain was not on any federal watchlists associated with national security.
Hussain's parents have said their son struggled with psychosis and depression and that they were devastated by his violent actions.
