Eaton Centre Shooting: Suspect Christopher Husbands ‘changed’ by gangs, father says
Christopher Husbands was a quiet, happy child growing up in Guyana, according to his father. “He was a good guy coming up,” Burchell Husbands says.
But as a teenager living in Regent Park, he started getting into fights, then scrapes with the law.
“I tried to beg him to keep out of trouble,” his father said.
On Monday, police named Christopher Husbands as the suspect in the shooting at the Toronto Eaton Centre that killed one person, wounded six others, and terrified an entire city.
Husbands, 23, faces one count of first-degree murder in the death of Ahmed Hassan, 24, and six counts of attempted murder.
Husbands turned himself into Toronto police's 52 Division at 2:20 a.m. Monday, accompanied by his lawyer. Later that afternoon, he made a brief appearance at Old City Hall.
Investigators believe Husbands, Hassan and a 23-year-old victim who remains in critical condition all had ties to the same gang. But they say Saturday's gunfire was the result of a personal beef.
The attack was not about gang business — “it's about anger and violence,” said Acting Deputy Chief Jeff McGuire.
For Burchell Husbands, the two can't be separated. “Gang changed everything,” he said of his son.
Christopher Husbands immigrated to Toronto in 2000. He lived in Regent Park with his family, attending local public schools. In his mid-teens, his father said, Husbands started getting in fights at school. He was in frequent contact with the law and has faced numerous charges since his 18th birthday, when he moved out of the family home.
In November 2010, he was charged with sexual assault.
At the time of the shooting, Husbands was out on $4,000 bail and under house arrest for the outstanding sex assault charge.
Two months ago, Husbands survived what his father believed was a gang attack by six people when he was stabbed more than 20 times.
He has a 5-year-old daughter with an ex-girlfriend, his father said.
Crown Attorney Mary Humphrey said the defence was consenting to his detention. His lawyer, Susan Von Achten, held up a notepad to shield his face from the media throng packed into the tiny courtroom.
Husbands was ordered not to have contact with any of the living shooting victims. A publication ban was imposed on the proceedings, including those victims' names.
One, a 13-year-old boy who was hit in the head by gunfire, is now alert and talking after what the family called complicated neurosurgery. Four other random mall-goers hit with gunfire have been discharged.
A sixth victim, who is still in critical condition with gunshot wounds to his chest and neck, was allegedly targeted along with the deceased man.
Lead homicide investigator Det. Sgt. Brian Borg said police believe the shooter encountered those two victims by happenstance and “unfortunately in a very bad location.”
Ahmed Hassan died instantly at the scene.
Hassan and his family moved to Toronto in the 1990s to escape Somalia's brutal civil war, according to Mohamed Gilao, director of the Toronto-based Somali settlement services centre Dejinta Beesha.
Gilao said Hassan's father struggled to find stable work and decided to move the family to Edmonton.
While Toronto police have not confirmed the connection, an Ahmed Hassan was facing cocaine trafficking charges in Fort McMurray, Alta. Police here said Hassan was born June 14, 1987, while an Alberta court clerk has the birthdate of the man wanted on trafficking charges registered as April 14, 1987.
The discrepancy could be the result of a filing error, but there is no way of knowing, the clerk said.
A co-accused in the drug charges, 19-year-old Abdinasir Dirie of Toronto, was later found murdered in a Fort McMurray apartment.
According to a family friend who did not want to disclose his name, Hassan had recently returned to Toronto.
He moved in with his grandmother and an aunt at their downtown home.
Husbands will appear in court on June 25 for the sex assault charge.
Toronto police's McGuire said the fact that Husbands broke bail was “frustrating,” but he added that fault lies with the accused and his surety.
“We can't babysit every single one of these,” he said.
The exact conditions of Husbands' house arrest are not yet known but Joseph Neuberger, a Toronto criminal lawyer, said people are typically required to be at their residence 24 hours a day. The exceptions are to and from work, education or if there are any medical emergencies.
Sureties are responsible for those under house arrest. “When people sign on to be a surety, they pledge to supervise,” said Neuberger.
Police emphasized Monday that the investigation is continuing. While they are not looking for other suspects, police believe the two victims were travelling with other people. They are urging anyone with information on the shooting to contact police.
Husbands' next appearance for the Eaton Centre shootings is set for Aug. 15
