Toronto shooter struggled with ‘depression and psychosis’ before attack, family says

Two people were killed and 13 more injured in Sunday night shooting

Mourners set up a vigil for one of the victims of the Toronto shooting (AP)

Family of the gunman who killed two and left 13 injured after opening fire in Toronto over the weekend say that he suffered from psychosis and depression prior to the shooting, but that they never thought he was capable of indiscriminate murder.

The 29-year-old gunman died Sunday after opening fire on one of the city’s busiest stretches of road in the Greektown neighbourhood, though it is not yet clear if his death was self-inflicted or the result of a shoot out with the two police officers who responded to the violence.

“Our son had severe mental health challenges, struggling with psychosis and depression his entire life,” the family of the gunman, identified by officials as Faisal Hussain, said in a statement.

The family included condolences to the families for their son’s “horrific actions”, and said they were “utterly devastated” by the events.

“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,” the statement said. “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”.

The gunman killed 18-year-old Reese Fallon, a recent high school graduate who was set to begin university this fall. The other fatality, a 10-year-old girl, was not immediately identified by name.

The injured victims range in age from 10 to 59.

Ms Fallon’s family, in a statement, said that they were devastated by the loss of their daughter, a former volunteer for Canada’s Liberal Party who had her whole life ahead of her.

The Sunday shooting has once again shaken the city, where just three months ago a man drove a van through a city sidewalk, killing 10 people and injuring dozens more.

“It’s almost inconceivable that these things can happen,” John Tory, Toronto’s mayor, said. “We were so used to living in a city where these things didn’t happen and as we saw them going on in the world around us [we] thought they couldn’t happen here.

The city has struggled with elevated levels of gun violence recently, and Mr Tory has questioned why guns are allowed in his city at all.

Individuals hoping to own a gun must apply for a license, pass a firearms safety test, and pass a background check before receiving approval.

Then, firearm owners must keep their guns locked and unloaded, and the weapons are not supposed to leave an individual’s home, unless the owner has a special permit.

Owning and carrying handguns – the type of weapon reported to have been used on Sunday – requires taking and passing a further course beyond the general gun ownership requirements.