CANADA - 3 dead including gunman, 12 injured in Greektown shooting, Toronto, July 2018

[Tricia]

Hey Everyone,

Let's please stay on topic. The topic is not gun violence in the US or anything to do with the US. Topic is the shooting in Canada.

Thanks,
Tricia

 

[kmclaren]

Plenty of people? I dont know anyone who has one except for my cop friends. How easy is it to obtain a legal or illegal handgun here. Genuinely curious.

My ex had 3 handguns, they were inherited from his father. He needed to go get a licence for them but other than that no issues owning them. I hated having them in the house. He passed one along to his brother who was subsequently arrested for pointing it at his partner. Years after we separated, my ex took his own life with his 44. These are the only handguns I have ever come across, friends, family, co-workers, etc. so I think owning one in Canada would be considered pretty rare.

 

[Jealoushe]

No doubt you can get them illegally thanks to the overflow from the US.
Obviously some people in Canada have handguns. I should have said “relatively speaking, there aren’t handguns in Canada” when compared to our southern neighbors.
The numbers in Canada are almost non existent in comparison. And I would definitely challenge the statement that you can “easily obtain a handgun” legally in Canada.

Where in this country can you go to purchase a handgun and walk home with it the same day? The same month even? From what I understand you would have to pass multiple tests, have a criminal records check, document your mental health history, register the firearm, set forth the physical locations you would transport it as both concealed and open carry are strictly prohibited if you aren’t law enforcement.

That doesn’t sound easy to me? Was your experience different than this?

I could obtain a handgun within 2 hours if I wanted one and had the money. I have friends who have their restricted license. It would be a matter of asking them to purchase me one and them trusting me and doing it. Handguns are not illegal in Canada, only prohibited weapons are. Even some that are prohibited are still owned as they are grandfathered in. My father had a prohibited handgun passed down from his father - it was his fathers war German Ruger.

Plenty of people? I dont know anyone who has one except for my cop friends. How easy is it to obtain a legal or illegal handgun here. Genuinely curious.

Yes, I work with 2 people who have hand guns, as I said my father had one, that ex bf I posted about earlier had 3 and he had a weapons ban. Between his friends there were probably 5 with them. I probably know at least 20 people with hand guns.

I wonder why people want this to be terrorism. I see it everywhere, including the media, everyone desperately looking for connections to ISIS and assuming because he has an Arabic name this must be terrorism. IMO they've got selfish reasons for doing it that have nothing to do with keeping people safe.

If this man really was severely mentally ill and experiencing psychosis he's no different from Vince Li.

It was posted in the media that he was known to police and they are looking into his history in Afghanistan and Pakistan and history of violent crimes. I think that is why. There is also question this is the same man who was arrested in London UK for threatening a woman to throw acid in her face.

 

[MistyWaters]

I wonder why people want this to be terrorism. I see it everywhere, including the media, everyone desperately looking for connections to ISIS and assuming because he has an Arabic name this must be terrorism. IMO they've got selfish reasons for doing it that have nothing to do with keeping people safe.

If this man really was severely mentally ill and experiencing psychosis he's no different from Vince Li.

I agree. We don’t make a connection to ISIS each time MSM reports that a perpetrator was deemed to be suffering from severe mental illness regarding the tragic murder of their family members or friends. It’s not a great leap to imagine the same type of paranoia and psychosis can be directed toward strangers, much like Vinc Li, only the consequences are far greater when armed with a weapon.

Another example, seldom is the advent of such things as “Zombies” attributed to mass murder but I’ve always wondered about the effect for those who aren’t always capable of separating fantasy from reality.

 

[Gardenista]

I wonder why people want this to be terrorism. I see it everywhere, including the media, everyone desperately looking for connections to ISIS and assuming because he has an Arabic name this must be terrorism. IMO they've got selfish reasons for doing it that have nothing to do with keeping people safe.

If this man really was severely mentally ill and experiencing psychosis he's no different from Vince Li.

I wonder why people want this to be mental illness. I see it everywhere, including the media, everyone desperately looking for connections to mental illness and assuming because he has an Arabic name this must be mental illness. IMO they've got selfish reasons for doing it that have nothing to do with keeping people safe.

 

[Jealoushe]

This is why;

WARMINGTON: Was Danforth attack terror, or terrorism?

 

[MistyWaters]

I wonder why people want this to be mental illness. I see it everywhere, including the media, everyone desperately looking for connections to mental illness and assuming because he has an Arabic name this must be mental illness. IMO they've got selfish reasons for doing it that have nothing to do with keeping people safe.

Even if someone else was responsible for planting violent notions in his mind, it would seem by the family’s statements that his “severe mental challenges” allowed him to be taken advantage of.

“......After police identified the suspect late Monday afternoon, Mr. Hussain’s family released a statement, explaining that their son had suffered from “severe mental challenges.” In the statement they offered condolences to those injured and killed on Sunday because of Mr. Hussain’s “horrific actions.”

“Our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life. The interventions of professionals were unsuccessful,” Mr. Hussain’s family said in the statement. “Medications and therapy were unable to treat him. 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.”

“Our hearts are in pieces for the victims and for our city as we all come to grips with this terrible tragedy. We will mourn those who were lost for the rest of our lives.”....”
10-year-old girl, 18-year-old woman killed in Toronto mass shooting

 

[Gardenista]

Even if someone else was responsible for planting violent notions in his mind, it would seem by the family’s statements that his “severe mental challenges” allowed him to be taken advantage of.

“......After police identified the suspect late Monday afternoon, Mr. Hussain’s family released a statement, explaining that their son had suffered from “severe mental challenges.” In the statement they offered condolences to those injured and killed on Sunday because of Mr. Hussain’s “horrific actions.”

“Our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life. The interventions of professionals were unsuccessful,” Mr. Hussain’s family said in the statement. “Medications and therapy were unable to treat him. 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.”

“Our hearts are in pieces for the victims and for our city as we all come to grips with this terrible tragedy. We will mourn those who were lost for the rest of our lives.”....”
10-year-old girl, 18-year-old woman killed in Toronto mass shooting

Yes, we've all seen that. Where is their report on his possible ties to ISIS? The Toronto Sun reported on both possibilities.

 

[dotr]

Danforth shooter was previously known to police for 'online activity:' 680 NEWS
"Faisal Hussain, the 29-year-old man responsible for the mass shooting on the Danforth this weekend, was known to police for his previous “online activity,” the Toronto police told 680 NEWS.

680 NEWS is CityNews’ radio affiliate. CityNews has not been able to verify the information independently.

There has been no word on the type of online activity the police knew about how long ago it happened."
Toronto shooting rampage: New details emerge about gunman Faisal Hussain
TORONTO -- Canadian investigators were digging Tuesday into the life of the 29-year-old man who opened fire on restaurants and cafes in a popular Toronto neighborhood, seeking to explain what prompted the rampage that killed a 10-year-old girl and a young woman and wounded 13 others. Investigators in Canada have indications that Faisal Hussain visited Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) websites and may have expressed support for the terrorist group, a law enforcement source told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton.

Investigators are looking into whether Hussain may have lived at one time in Afghanistan and possibly Pakistan, the source said. There is no indication that Hussain was directed by ISIS to carry out the attack.

"At this stage, based on the state of the investigation, which is led by the Toronto police service, there is no connection between that individual and national security," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Tuesday.

 

[JDG]

***Violence is an uncommon complication of mental illness.***

 

[dotr]

John Robson: We must call the Toronto shootings evil, whatever the shooter’s ‘reasons’
"John Robson: We must call the Toronto shootings evil, whatever the shooter's 'reasons'
Arguably it takes less courage to shoot unarmed civilians than, say, storm a military base or police station. But the problem isn’t cowardice. It’s the opposite, a peculiar and brittle hubris about your own righteousness that gives you the gall to set aside other lives as worthless"
"Another question is why shootings keep increasing in Toronto, and Ottawa. Guns haven’t become more lethal and Canada’s fairly strict gun laws have not been significantly relaxed. So is it cultural changes, weaknesses in law enforcement, the spread of nihilistic doctrines, or what?"

Then there’s the terrorist angle. The Toronto Sun’s Joe Warmington says the killer was familiar to three different police forces over online activities and past violence. So perhaps red flags were again missed.

We do not know whether he was motivated by ISIL or some similar group. But the possibility brings me to the misguided “terrorism or insanity?” meme trotted out in such situations.

 

[matou]

Suspected Danforth mass shooting gunman was known to police for mental health reasons

“He was fascinated with death and explosions. He also liked replica handguns,” the police source said.

A family spokesperson disputed this but confirmed to Global News that Hussain did once own a BB gun and “loved Batman movies” but no more than anyone else.

Suspected Danforth mass shooting gunman was known to police for mental health reasons

 

[bluesneakers]

Batman movies. That sounds familiar.

 

[matou]

The suspected gunman in the Danforth mass shooting Sunday night in Toronto was known to police for having a history of mental health concerns dating back to 2010.

A police source told Global News that 29-year-old Faisal Hussain had previously been apprehended by Toronto police twice under the mental health act.

Suspected Danforth mass shooting gunman was known to police for mental health reasons

 

[matou]

Global News also learned that Hussain, who lived with his parents in a seventh floor apartment on Thorncliffe Park Drive, thought he was the Joker from the Batman movies.

Suspected Danforth mass shooting gunman was known to police for mental health reasons

 

[MistyWaters]

***Violence is an uncommon complication of mental illness.***

Thankfully, yes it’s uncommon, but not unheard of.

You may recall the de Groot case. Matthew was declared not criminally responsible for the stabbing deaths of five young people at a house party he attended. When he was arrested iirc he had garlic cloves stuffed in his socks.

The problem is even if parents suspect their adult child might be disassociated from reality but refuses to acknowledge it and cooperate with treatment, they’re left with no course of action without solid proof that he or she is a danger to others or themselves. In the “old days” parents had the option of involuntarily committing a child to undergo psychiatric treatment but not any longer (that topic is another huge chapter in our history).

“....At the time this happened he was delusional. His psychosis was to the extent his view of reality was distorted but thanks to the medications he’s received and the treatment he’s received he now appreciates reality and what was happening.”...”
Trial hears de Grood likely suffering from schizophrenia before attack - Macleans.ca

 

[MistyWaters]

My apologies if this has been posted before but I sure hope the cause of these seperate “accidents” involving two siblings are reviewed.

“....."When he comes around six o'clock, seven o'clock, I say, 'Faisal, who is cooking? Your mom is at the hospital.' He'd say, 'Oh [Malik], I'll make a sandwich."

That was a typical day for Hussain, said Malik. His parents made daily hospital visits to see his brother, who has been in a coma for nearly a year and a half following an accident. It was the latest in a series of tragedies for the family, who, several years ago, also lost their daughter in an accident.

"They've been through a lot," Sukhera said....”
"When he comes around six o'clock, seven o'clock, I say, 'Faisal, who is cooking? Your mom is at the hospital.' He'd say, 'Oh [Malik], I'll make a sandwich."

That was a typical day for Hussain, said Malik. His parents made daily hospital visits to see his brother, who has been in a coma for nearly a year and a half following an accident. It was the latest in a series of tragedies for the family, who, several years ago, also lost their daughter in an accident.

"They've been through a lot," Sukhera said.
'Like 2 different people': Friend of Faisal Hussain struggles to understand what sparked Danforth rampage | CBC News

 

[Gardenista]

My apologies if this has been posted before but I sure hope the cause of these seperate “accidents” involving two siblings are reviewed.

“....."When he comes around six o'clock, seven o'clock, I say, 'Faisal, who is cooking? Your mom is at the hospital.' He'd say, 'Oh [Malik], I'll make a sandwich."

That was a typical day for Hussain, said Malik. His parents made daily hospital visits to see his brother, who has been in a coma for nearly a year and a half following an accident. It was the latest in a series of tragedies for the family, who, several years ago, also lost their daughter in an accident.

"They've been through a lot," Sukhera said....”
"When he comes around six o'clock, seven o'clock, I say, 'Faisal, who is cooking? Your mom is at the hospital.' He'd say, 'Oh [Malik], I'll make a sandwich."

That was a typical day for Hussain, said Malik. His parents made daily hospital visits to see his brother, who has been in a coma for nearly a year and a half following an accident. It was the latest in a series of tragedies for the family, who, several years ago, also lost their daughter in an accident.

"They've been through a lot," Sukhera said.
'Like 2 different people': Friend of Faisal Hussain struggles to understand what sparked Danforth rampage | CBC News

It has been posted, but I'm glad you brought it up again because I had the same thought yesterday and forgot to mention it.

 

[dotr]

Danforth shooter was previously known to police for 'online activity:' 680 NEWS
"Dr. David Goldbloom, senior medical advisor at CAMH, said people suffering from psychosis rarely commit violent acts.

“For most people who experience psychosis, it is not accompanied by violent behaviour,” he said. “People with psychosis are at greater risk of being the victims of violence then of perpetrating violence.

“Occasionally, and tragically, some people with psychotic illness do act out in a very violent way.”

 

[Gardenista]

FUREY: Meet the spin doctor behind the Hussain family statement

The man who has presented himself as the point of contact for the family of Faisal Hussain is a professional activist who has reportedly committed himself to “framing a new narrative of Muslims in Canada” and creating a “national political movement.”

Shortly after the Ontario Special Investigations Unit revealed the identity of the Danforth shooter as 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, a news release was sent out to select media attributed to the “Hussain Family”.

More at the link. Disgusting.