TORONTO — Relatives of those injured or killed in a shooting rampage in Toronto’s Greektown last summer are calling on Ottawa to ban private ownership of handguns and assault rifles.
A group that includes those hurt in the July 2018 shooting as well as family and community members has issued an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging him to change gun laws to help prevent similar attacks in the future.
They say that while gun violence is a complex problem, restrictions on ownership are part of the solution.
The July 22 rampage on the city’s bustling Danforth Avenue killed two people — 10-year-old Julianna Kozis and 18-year-old Reese Fallon — and left 13 others injured.
The shooter, 29-year-old Faisal Hussain, was found dead nearby shortly afterwards and authorities have said he took his own life.
Hussain’s parents issued a statement a day after the shooting outlining their son’s battle with depression and psychosis and denouncing his “horrific” actions.
In a news conference Friday, Fallon’s younger sister, Quinn Fallon, said her life was forever changed that day, adding her family now feels “incomplete.”
“Reese always talked about her future — her future at McMaster (University), becoming a nurse and how many kids she wanted and where she wanted to raise a family,” she said.
“Because of this tragedy, Reese and Julianna will never get to experience a day past that July 22. They both wanted love and peace, not hate or violence.”
The Canadian Press
