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Faisal Hussain: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Published Jul 23, 2018 at 5:38pmUpdated Jul 23, 2018 at 6:02pm Instagram
The gunman suspected of being Faisal Hussain
Faisal Hussain was named as the 29-year-old gunman in black who shot 15 people – killing an aspiring teenage nurse and a 10-year-old girl – in a popular restaurant area in Toronto known as Greektown.
Hussain, of Toronto, was named as the Danforth shooter by the city’s Special Investigations Unit. “Due to the exceptional circumstances of the tragic incident last night on Danforth Avenue and the public interest in knowing the identity of the man who was involved in the exchange of gunfire with police, the SIU has identified him,” the SIU wrote, before naming the gunman as Faisal Hussain.
At the end of the mass shooting rampage, a woman and child were dead, a city was traumatized, and 13 others were in the hospital. Faisal Hussain, who used a handgun, died at the scene after an exchange of gunfire with Toronto police. The gunman was from Toronto.
A screenshot from the Instagram video that reportedly shows Faisal Hussain.
Toronto police later confirmed: “16 people shot in total (includes shooter), 8 women (including 10yr old girl) and 8 men. Three have died, (18yr old woman, 10yr old girl and the shooter). That leaves 13 still in hospital with minor to life-changing injuries.”
The woman who died has been named as Reese Fallon. According to CP24, she was “a recent high school graduate from Toronto’s Malvern Collegiate Institute, and planned to study nursing at McMaster University.” The deceased child has not yet been named.
Reese Fallon
Witnesses described a gunman wearing all black, and an Instagram video appeared to show the shooter opening fire. You can see the video later in this article, but be aware that it’s disturbing. The victims were strewn over a large area in Greektown along Danworth Avenue in a horrific scene that has traumatized Canadians and a city already struggling with rising gun violence and and a fairly recent pedestrian van-ramming attack.
An eyewitness described the gunman as shooting like it was “in a video game.”
“He was very relaxed, it was pretty disturbing,” Lenny Graf told Toronto Star.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Police Say They Are Still Investigating Faisal Hussain’s Motive & His Family Claims He Suffered From Severe Mental Health Problems Police say it’s too early to say whether terrorism is involved. They said both Sunday and Monday in press conferences that they and SIU were still investigating the motive and were considering all angles.
“I’m keeping everything open. Looking at every single possible motive for this; when you have this many people struck by gunfire, it’s a grave concern,” said Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders. “I certainly want to find out exactly what it is, so I am not closing any doors or any chapters on this. I certainly don’t want to speculate… I don’t know why he did what he did, and he won’t be able to tell us because he is deceased.”
The police chief was asked whether terrorism was involved, and he did not rule it in or out.
Faisal Hussain’s family released a statement that said they were “utterly devastated.”
A City News journalist, Cynthia Mulligan, wrote on Twitter: “They say he had severe mental health problems and struggled with psychosis and depression his entire life.”
Here’s the full statement from Hussain’s family:
“We have a young lady that is deceased,” the chief said. The girl in critical condition is 8 or 9 years old, he said. He said it appears that the shooter died from gunshot wounds, but police were still trying to figure out whether the wound was self-inflicted. He said there was an “exchange of gunfire,” apparently with officers.
One witness described how the gunman saw her with a friend through a business window and shot.
It’s not the first mass tragedy to strike Toronto. Alek Minassian is accused of ramming a van into pedestrians, killing 10 people, earlier in the year. He had “praised mass shooter Elliot Rodger and referenced a misogynistic online community of angry celibate men in a Facebook message,” reported Telegraph.
2. Instagram Video Appeared to Show the ShooterAlleged video of the shooter was posted to Instagram. The Instagram user, @ArielAnise, wrote, “WARNING disturbing content @TorontoPolice @CBCToronto Shooting outside our window at Chester and Danforth ?? praying for victims.” You can watch the video below, but be aware that it’s troubling as it shows the gunman open fire. The Instagram user then deleted her page but not before the video spread on the Internet. Heavy viewed the video on the original page before it was deleted.
You can see the video above. Police have not yet confirmed the video’s authenticity, but multiple news outlets in Canada have run it.
3. A Witness Said Faisal Hussain Was Shooting ‘Aimlessly’A witness speaking on CP24 said the shooter was dressed in black and “running around shooting at people aimlessly” before possibly shooting himself. The witness said even before the police announcement that she believed at least one woman had died. “Two young girls were lying down on the street shot,” she said.
“I heard ‘pop, pop’ and then I turned because I thought it was fireworks … and then the mother of a friend of mine goes, ‘They’re shooting at us — run inside!’” another witness, Stavy Karnouskou, said.
Stavy saw two female victims lying on the ground. “One of them, I could see her legs were blue,” Karnouskou said. “I wanted to help her but didn’t know what to do.”
The shooting occurred outside Christina’s Restaurant. Multiple victims were seen lying on the ground, reported The Toronto Sun. You can see a roundup of videos and photos from the scene here.
Global News reported early on: “Paramedics say they’ve transported 6 victims to trauma centres, 1 to pediatric trauma, 2 to local hospitals and are still treating an unconfirmed number of people on the scene.” Some witnesses heard as many as 25 shots, by one account.
4. One Witness Described the ‘Horrific’ Look on Hussain’s Face & Said He Executed a WomanAndrew Mantzios, a witness, described the shooter as having “this horrible expression on his face” as he fired, seemingly randomly. “And then a lady tried to run and she fell down,” he told Globe and Mail. “He turned around and shot her point blank, two or three times.” The witness said the suspect shot into businesses, including Caffe Demetre, a dessert shop.
Mantzious told the news site that a woman was “executed,” and added that people were “falling all over the place – maybe seven, eight, nine of them.” The shooting broke out around 10 p.m. Mantzious also said: “But the guy … had this look on his face, while I saw his profile, like he was screaming at something and shooting.”
Jeremy Cohn, a digital journalist with Global News Toronto, shared video from the scene on Twitter (which you can see later in this article) and wrote, “BREAKING: Multiple people shot on Danforth Av in Greektown. Victims are spread across many blocks.” Merella Fernandez, a CTV reporter, described the scene as a popular area with restaurants and said witnesses reported hearing more than a dozen shots.
City News Toronto wrote on Twitter, “#UPDATE: Paramedics say the crime scene encompasses a large area and a number of victims have suffered significant injuries.” The mass shooting occurred in the area of Danforth and Logan Avenues, City News reported. The motive for the shooting is not clear, including whether terrorism could be involved or some other motive, and the gunman has not been identified.
Greektown Is a Popular Neighborhood Full of Restaurants & CafesNicholas Lemon wrote on Twitter that he was at the location where the shooting occurred. “There has been a mass shooting about 2-3 blocks along the Danforth in Toronto where I currently am located. We are safe. But the street has 2-3 dozen EMS, police, fire, etc., vehicles. 5-10 victims (there are unconfirmed death/s). More to come. #torontoshooting #massshooting,” he wrote.
Toronto’s Greektown on the Danforth’s website describes it as “the largest Greek neighbourhood in North America and one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Toronto! Visit our part of town and experience a neighbourhood alive with interesting restaurants, boutiques, shops, markets, cafes, and a host of wonderful experiences.”
Reports on Twitter said early on that there may be multiple victims. “#Breaking – Multiple victims after reported shooting on the Danforth in #Toronto,” wrote CP24’s Stephanie Smyth. Breaking Toronto, a site that monitors police scanners, wrote, “So far… Female GSW to the Thigh, Male with 2 GWS’s to the legs… Female unknown GSW, Child struct (sic) and will be taken to Sick Kids…. Female GSW to the thigh.” Again, this information was not yet confirmed by authorities as the situation was still developing.
“Two more victims located with Gunshot wounds to the lower legs. Trauma Ctr’s will only be taking the most serious. Other hospitals will be assisting with Non-life threatening,” added Breaking News Toronto.
The site alleged early on that police scanners indicate a child was among the victims. “This is a large crime scene. ETF officers are also in the area. If you don’t need to be in the area stay away,” Breaking Toronto wrote on Twitter. “I’ve lost count trying to get all of the information so this is UNCONFIRMED as I am not positive but I count about 8 victims with GSW’s. Victims are still being located.”
The site added, “Patients located at Logan and Danforth. There is now a second location west of Logan and Danforth with patients.”
Merella Fernandez, a reporter with CTV, wrote on Twitter that Toronto Police “have buses in the area to take witnesses to divisions to be interviewed.”
A man named Jeremy Barker wrote on Twitter, “We heard the shots and live just north on Logan. Friends who live even closer say the shooting was at the Alexander the Great parkette. At 10pm on a summer night it is often filled with families and kids playing around the fountain. #danforth.” Be aware that the earliest reports in mass shooting situations can sometimes be wrong as the situations are dynamic and confusing.
People expressed anger and fear on Twitter. |
