Ammunition for powerful guns, DVDs extolling conspiracy theories and what may have been cocaine were found under the bed of a gunman who opened fire on a busy Toronto street, killing two people.
Newly unsealed court documents shed light on the actions of Faisal Hussain in the days before the mass shooting on Danforth Avenue and the immediate police response.
According to the documents, police searched the apartment Hussain shared with his parents and found a significant cache of ammunition, some of which was designed for shotguns and AK-47 rifles. Included in the array were a number of extended-capacity magazines, which are often illegal to possess in Canada.
No guns of that type were found, which raises questions about whether they fell into other hands and whether Hussain may have had ideas beyond heading to the Danforth with a handgun.
“What was the big plan here?” CP24 crime specialist Steve Ryan said Tuesday.
“The shooting that happened on the Danforth happened with a single firearm, but he had all this ammunition and all these magazines in his house. All he was missing was the other firearms.”
Also seized from Hussain’s apartment were a white powder suspected to be cocaine and four DVDs detailing conspiracy theories that the 9/11 attacks were planned by the U.S. government.
Ten-year-old Julianna Kozis and 18-year-old Reese Fallon were killed during Hussain’s July 2018 rampage, during which witnesses reported seeing him zig-zagging down the Danforth and seeming to fire his gun indiscriminately.
After exchanging gunfire with police, the documents reveal, Hussain died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Family members have claimed Hussain suffered from severe mental health challenges. He was regarded by police as an “emotionally disturbed person” and had been linked to three police incidents prior to the shooting, but had no criminal record. He had been arrested for shoplifting and subsequently granted an unconditional release two days prior to the attack.
Toronto police have not closed their investigation into the Danforth shooting. Ontario's Special Investigations Unit announced Wednesday that it had concluded its probe, finding no reason to charge police officers with any offences.
Speaking to CP24, criminal defence lawyer Ari Goldkind expressed concern that some portions of the court documents remain redacted, leaving some of what police know about the case out of the public’s view – even though Hussain’s death means his right to a fair trial does not need to be protected.
“I think the public has been owed far more truth on this case than they’ve ever been provided,” he said.
“When you look at what’s been released today – the arsenal, the ammunition, the videos, the conspiracy theories – it really raises the question … why the sort of cone of silence?”
