An 18-year-old woman set to begin a nursing degree in the fall and a 10-year-old girl were killed when a gunman rampaged down a busy Toronto street on Sunday night.
The alleged gunman, identified as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain of Toronto, died at the scene along the cityâs Danforth Avenue. Police said that 13 others, ranging in age from 17 to 59, were injured.
Reese Fallon, 18, was a member of a local Young Liberals club and was enrolled in the nursing program at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.
The 10-year-old victim was identified by police as Julianna Kozis from Markham, Ont., a city just north of Toronto. Her family has asked for privacy.
In an emotional Instagram post, Fallonâs younger sister said she was âas close to perfect as it can get.â
âYou were not only my sister but you were my everything and my love and my whole world,â she wrote.
BeachesâEast York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith told local news station CP24 that he had spoken to Fallonâs family and they are âdevastated.â
âThis is a loss for all of us,â Erskine-Smith said.
The flags were lowered to half-staff at Malvern Collegiate Institute in memory of Fallon, who was a recent graduate of the school. A teacher there, Anthony Parisi, said that Fallon planned to be a mental health nurse.
âThis loss is even more profound because, knowing what I know of Reese, she wouldâve been an exceptional nurse because she was a natural caregiver,â he said on Tuesday.
Julie Steel, a family friend, created a scholarship in honour of Fallon that will help future graduates afford nursing school.
A neighbour of Fallonâs in Torontoâs Beaches neighbourhood said that she used to babysit his children. He described her as âlovely.â
âShe would come early morning sometimes and play games with my kids,â the neighbour told CTV Toronto. âShe was outgoing, very friendly. Iâm totally shocked.â
Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak went to high school with Fallon and described her classmate on Twitter as âamazing and so sweet.â
âMy prayers go out to everyone affected, especially Reeseâs family,â
âI canât forget her faceâ
Ali Demircan, who was grazed on the back by a bullet during the shooting, believes that he was one of the last people to see Fallon alive.
Demircan told CTVâs Genevieve Beauchemin that he was drinking coffee with friends on a stone bench near Danforth Avenue and Logan Avenue around 10 p.m. when he heard the shots.
âPeople started screaming and they were running around,â he said. âThe guy was walking from east to west on the Danforth and he was firing to anyone he sees.â
Demircan, an immigrant from Turkey, said he hid behind the stone bench to protect himself.
When the gunshots stopped, he stood up and saw a young woman with long, dark hair wearing a white shirt and a black skirt. She was holding her arm and asked him to call 911, he said.
Gunshots soon rang out again, and his friend pulled him aside, he added.
âI feel some burn on my back and I thought that I got hit,â he said. He described hiding inside an SUV before running to a park where he called 911. Just then, emergency responders arrived.
âWhen I turned back here to the crime scene, I saw the girl lying down,â he said. âThey were trying to save her.â
âI just heard that sheâs 18 years old and itâs terrible,â Demircan went on. âItâs nightmare. I canât forget her face. She was looking at me. Itâs terrible.â
Demircan said he hasnât been able to sleep since the incident. âWhenever I close my eyes, I remember her face,â he said.
Demircan said he saw at three other gunshot victims, all women, lying on the ground.
As of Tuesday evening, eight of those injured remained in hospitals, including three in critical condition. The rest have been released.
Chris Budo, a candidate for city council in the ward where the shooting took place, told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel that he knows two of the gunshot victims â a woman who owns a local cleaning shop and her son.
âThe man screamed at them to get out of the way and proceeded to shoot them in the lower legs,â he said. âVery, very scary.â
On Monday night, a vigil was held for the victims.
This strikes very close to home, my family friend Joanna and her son John both fell victim to this senseless violence and were shot. They are both in stable condition in hospital and will soon be released. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.
â Chris Budo (@ChrisBudo_TOR)
My heart is hurting after hearing about the Danforth shooting. My prayers go out to everyone affected, especially Reeseâs family, I went to school with her and she was amazing and so sweetâ¤ď¸ stay strong.
â Penny Oleksiak (@OleksiakPenny)
Toronto is truly an AMAZING city!
â Peter Akman (@PeterAkman)