‘THIS IS A HUGE LOSS’
TEEN PREPARING TO START UNIVERSITY, 10-YEAR-OLD GIRL SLAIN BY GUNMAN
Reese Fallon, 18, a recent Toronto high school graduate and political activist who was set to study nursing in the fall, was identified by her family Monday as one of two people killed in a shooting rampage Sunday night.
She spent the evening celebrating a birthday with two friends with dinner at a downtown pizza restaurant before heading to the Danforth.
A woman who answered the phone at the Fallon family’s eastend Toronto home said they are devastated and asked that their privacy be respected. She identified herself as a family friend, but did not wish to be named.
“She was the nicest person — enjoying her life, living her life. She did not deserve to die this way,” said her friend Frank Hong, who met her in April at the federal Liberal convention in Halifax, where Fallon was part of the Young Liberals delegation, talking politics and sizing up candidates. “She had a promising life ahead of her.”
In the 2015 federal election, Fallon volunteered as a canvasser for Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP for her home riding of Beaches-East York. “She was smart, passionate, energetic and out to make a difference in the world,” ErskineSmith said in an interview. “This is a huge loss.”
Hong identified one of Fallon’s dinner companions on Sunday as Samantha Price. Snapping a picture from what appeared to be a hospital bed Monday, Price wrote on Instagram: “Thank you to everyone who has been supportive during this time. It was truly devastating to have gone through this experience. My heart goes out to the other families suffering through this.”
Social media postings indicate Reese Fallon graduated this year from Malvern Collegiate Institute, and was set to study nursing at McMaster University in Hamilton in the fall.
Carrie Lauren Fallon, who identified herself as Reese Fallon’s cousin on social media, posted a link to news coverage of the shooting on Monday morning, with the comment: “My beautiful cousin. My heart hurts seeing this everywhere. Seeing my friends mark themselves as safe on Facebook. But Reese can’t mark herself safe. I’m so devastated for her and her family. I’m in f..king shock.”
The Toronto District School Board said in a statement it was “heartbroken,” and called Fallon “an engaging student” who was “highly regarded by staff and loved by her friends.” Director of education John Malloy said the school will open on Tuesday, despite summer holidays, and flags at Malvern and all school board administrative buildings will fly at half-staff.
The other victim who died, identified by police as a 10-yearold Toronto-area girl, has not been publicly named.
SHE DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE THIS WAY. SHE HAD A PROMISING LIFE AHEAD OF HER.
It is not known where Fallon was along the strip of Danforth Avenue where a gunman shot 15 people, prompting mass casualty responses at Toronto hospitals. But the 15 victims were found on the street, in a restaurant, an ice cream parlour, a coffee shop, and other places in Toronto’s Greektown. Video shot from an apartment above a store shows a man dressed in black firing at least three times into an ice cream parlour from the sidewalk.
Police were urging witnesses to immediately contact police to report what they may have seen or heard. Given the time, around 10 p.m. on a warm summer night, the Danforth would have been busy with hundreds of people.
The emergency medical response was the largest since the van attack on Yonge Street in April. St. Michael’s Hospital in the downtown core received five patients, of whom three underwent immediate life-saving surgery for gunshot wounds, according to Dr. Najma Ahmed, the acting medical director of trauma. She said all remained in serious but stable condition on Monday.
Sunnybrook Hospital in north Toronto received three patients with gunshots, of whom two are now in good condition, and one in critical but stable condition, according to spokeswoman Laura Bristow.
The 15 victims ranged in age from 10 to 59, with injuries ranging from minor to fatal, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders said at a Monday afternoon press conference. He said family members of all victims have been notified.
The 29-year-old male shooter also died after being shot. His death, whether by suicide or police fire, is the subject of a separate investigation by the Special Investigations Unit. The SIU identified him Monday evening as Faisal Hussain.
Bonnie Levine, executive director of Victim Services Toronto, a charity that works with police to provide immediate short-term assistance to victims of trauma, urged people deeply affected by the shootings to contact her agency for help.
“We know that these events have far-ranging effects. We know that, not only do people who were at the Danforth and in the shops and those who were injured and families of those who are deceased, are affected, but it can also be triggering for anyone who was at the April 23 van attack.
“These situations really can compound the trauma. If anyone is needing any type of support, our services are offered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” she said. The phone number is 416-808-7066.
Det.-Sgt. Terry Browne, the lead investigator for Toronto police, described “a moving scene” that was “very rapid and fluid,” and said the investigation is focused on several “scenes within the scene.”
He said a key question is if there were other people involved.