Two Dead, 13 Injured After Gunman Opens Fire on Toronto Street

Police identified the gunman, who died in a shootout, but wouldn’t speculate on a motive

Authorities identified Faisal Hussain, 29, of Toronto as the gunman who opened fire on a busy Toronto street late Sunday night in a shooting spree that killed an 18-year-old woman and a 10-year old girl.

Thirteen others were injured in the rampage on a bustling commercial strip in Toronto’s east side.

On Monday, police declined to speculate on the shooter’s motivation. Mr. Hussain’s family issued an email statement to local news outlets, saying they are devastated by what happened and suggested that their son was struggling with severe mental-health challenges, including psychosis and depression.

“We are at a terrible loss for words but we must speak out to express our deepest condolences to the families who are now suffering on account of our son’s horrific actions,” the family’s statement said. “While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end.”

A total of 16 people were shot, including Mr. Hussain, who died after a shootout with police officers. Authorities had initially said 15 people were shot.

The victims ranged in age from 10 to 59 years old, said Detective Sgt. Terry Browne, who is leading the police’s investigation. Some of the victims are suffering from “life-changing injuries,” he said, but declined to elaborate.

The shooter was chased by police after starting shooting and died in a residential area in Toronto’s east end. He had suffered a gunshot wound, said a spokeswoman for the Special Investigations Unit.

Canadian Broadcasting Corp. broadcast video footage of the incident. The man’s face was obscured by a dark hat.

The shooting occurred three months after a man drove a van into a busy sidewalk in the north end of Toronto, killing 10 people, most of them women.

Shootings in Toronto have surged in recent years. Police had recorded 228 shootings this year as of yesterday, an 11% increase from the same period last year.

In remarks Monday morning, Toronto Mayor John Tory acknowledged that the problem is growing in North America’s fourth-largest city. “We have a gun problem,” he said. “Guns are too readily available to too many people.”