Toronto shooter’s family left devastated by gun rampage
THE man accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding 13 others on a bustling Toronto street struggled with severe mental illness, his family said as police continued to seek a motive for the rampage.
Less than a day after a 10year-old girl and 18-year-old woman were killed, the suspect was identified as Faisal Hussain, a 29-year-old Toronto resident. He was found dead shortly after the shooting, police said.
“We do not know why this happened,” Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said, adding he would not speculate about the gunman’s motive.
The suspect, armed with a handgun, opened fire at 10pm on Sunday on a stretch of Danforth Ave filled with restaurants and familyfriendly attractions in an area of east Toronto known as the Greektown neighbourhood.
It was the second deadly act of mass violence this year in Canada’s most populous city.
In a statement, Hussain’s family said he suffered from severe mental illness as well as from “psychosis and depression his entire life.”
“We are utterly devastated by the incomprehensible news that our son was responsible for the senseless violence and loss of life,” the family wrote.
The 18-year-old victim has been identified as Reese Fallon, a recent high school graduate who planned to study nursing.
The gunman exchanged fire with police, fled and was later found dead, police said. The suspect had a gunshot wound, authorities said, but they would not elaborate on the circumstances or cause of his death.
A large part of Danforth Ave reopened for business, after police completed their forensic search of the crime site.