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Danforth shooting victims, Reese Fallon, 18, and Julianna Kozis, 10, are honoured with flowers and candlelight at a Danforth Av. vigil July 25. Photo by Michael Swan

Danforth community bring prayers and support for shooting victims

By 
  • July 25, 2018

Memorials continue to grow as Cardinal Thomas Collins asks for prayers for the victims of a shooting spree on Toronto's Danforth Ave. on July 22 that claimed three lives, including a 10-year-old girl.

Julianna Kozis, a young girl from Markham, and 18-year-old Reese Fallon, were killed in the rampage that left 13 others injured. The 29-year-old gunman from Toronto, Faisal Hussain, is also dead, though it's not clear if he was shot by police or died of a self-inflicted wound. His family said he suffered from severe mental health challenges.

“Please join me in praying for all those injured and killed in the wake of the Sunday evening Danforth shooting,” Collins said in a statement released to The Catholic Register July 23. “I will be asking all Archdiocese of Toronto churches to offer a special prayer intention for victims of violence in our community. Let us unite in our comfort and care for those who are hurting today.”

Fallon, a resident in the Toronto Beaches area, recently graduated from Malvern Collegiate Institute and had been planning to attend McMaster University this fall to study nursing.

Kozis, whose name was released July 24, was shot along with her father as the gunman walked along Danforth, stopping to fire into restaurants along a 400-metre stretch of the street on Sunday evening shortly before 10 p.m. She was taken to Sick Kids Hospital where she later died of her injuries.

danforth victimsJulianna Kozis, a young girl from Markham, and 18-year-old Reese Fallon, were killed in the rampage that left 13 others injured on Sunday night at Toronto's Danforth Ave. shooting. (Handout photos) 

A vigil was held at Calvary Church on Monday night, just blocks from the shooting scene. Another interfaith vigil was planned for Wednesday (July 25) at 7 p.m. The candlelight service began at Danforth Church (at Danforth and Bowden), followed by a procession to the site of the shooting.

Flowers, candles and messages of support have dotted the street at multiple spots where the shooting occurred.

Toronto hospitals have treated 13 injured victims, who range in age from 10 to 59 years old. Eight of the victims are female. The injuries ranged from minor to critical, according to authorities.

Emergency services including police, fire and ambulance responded beginning at 10:04 p.m. to reports of a man dressed in black with a messenger bag slung over his shoulder walking down the street shooting into restaurants with a handgun. 

According to the Special Investigations Unit, police exchanged gunfire with the gunman on Bowden St. He fled but was found dead on Danforth Ave. 

Before Sunday night’s Greektown rampage, 27 people in Toronto had been killed and 82 injured in gun violence in 2018. A joint effort launched in June by municipal, federal and provincial governments has earmarked $15 million to curb gun violence, including programs to keep young men from joining gangs.

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