The gunman who killed two persons and injured 13 others in a deadly mass shooting in Canada’s largest city Toronto has been identified as Pakistani-origin Faisal Hussain, according to the police. Hussain, 29, was suffering from psychosis and was getting professional help, Canada’s public broadcaster CBC News reported. A resident of Toronto, Hussain worked in a grocery store. On Sunday, he opened fire in Toronto’s vibrant Greektown neighbourhood, killing a 10-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman. Thirteen people were also injured in the shooting, some with potentially life-altering injuries.
Later, Hussain died after a brief exchange of gunfire with the police on Danforth Avenue. It was not immediately clear whether he shot himself dead or was killed by the police. The motive behind the shooting, rare in Toronto, was also not immediately known. Hussain was not on any federal watchlists associated with the national security, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said. His family, originally from Pakistan, said in a statement that their son was in the grips of untreatable and severe mental illness for “his entire life”. Neither professionals, nor medication nor therapy could help him, they said. They said that Hussain struggled with psychosis and depression and that they were devastated by his violent actions.
Toronto police executed a search warrant at Hussain’s apartment in the Thorncliffe Park area. The federal public safety minister’s office said that the police will continue to lead the investigation into Hussain’s background. “There is no national security nexus at this time,” communications officer Hilary Peirce said. Eight years ago, Hussain had disclosed to his friend Aamir Sukhera that he was suffering from psychosis and was getting professional help, the report said. Meanwhile, there have been renewed calls for tougher restrictions on firearms after the shooting. Mr Goodale said that the government is prepared to consider tightening handgun laws.
